Premier League-winning boss Claudio Ranieri said he would ask to be released by Nantes if he was offered the Italy job.
Ranieri, 66, has been linked with the vacant Italy post after Gian Piero Ventura departed following the country's failure to qualify for the World Cup in Russia.
Former head coach Antonio Conte, Carlo Ancelotti and Roberto Mancini have also emerged as possible replacements for Ventura, who presided over Italy's shock 1-0 aggregate play-off defeat to Sweden last year as the Azzurri failed to reach the World Cup for the first time since 1958.
And Ranieri has once again thrown his hand up to fill the void within the national team, despite only joining Ligue 1 outfit Nantes this season.