Newcastle United's Sandro Tonali and Aston Villa's Nicolo Zaniolo have both been released from the Italy squad over an investigation by Italian prosecutors into alleged illegal betting.
The Premier League duo were initially called up to Luciano Spalletti's national team squad ahead of Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta on Saturday and England next Tuesday.
Both Tonali and Zaniolo had been training with the rest of the senior squad at the Coverciano Technical Centre in Florence, but they will now return to England to link up with their respective clubs and will miss both matches "for their protection" amid the investigation.
A statement from the Italian football federation (FIGC) read: "The Federation announces that the Turin Public Prosecutor's Office has conducted investigations into players, Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Zaniolo, who are currently training with the national team at the Coverciano Federal Training Centre.
"Regardless of the nature of the events, considering that the two players are not in the necessary condition to face the matches scheduled for the next few days, the Federation has decided, also for their protection, to allow them to return to their respective clubs."
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The FIGC has not specified exactly what the investigation concerns, but according to Italian news agency ANSA, both players are being questioned over an illegal betting probe.
The Telegraph, meanwhile, claims that Tonali and Zaniolo are not the only Italian players under investigation for illegal betting and the probes carried out will include seizing phones and assessing the alleged betting that has not gone through regular licensed bookmakers.
Should Tonali and Zaniolo be found guilty, both players could be banned from football for three years under regulations in Italy.
The news comes just a few days after reports emerged that Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli is under investigation for illegal gambling activities, with the 22-year-old facing a parallel investigation by Italian prosecutors to verify whether his alleged betting involved football games.
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Tonali joined Newcastle United this summer from Serie A giants AC Milan for a reported £55m and has quickly established himself as a first-team regular in Eddie Howe's side.
The 23-year-old midfielder has made a total of 10 appearances for the Magpies across all competitions and scored on his Premier League debut in a 5-1 home win over Aston Villa in August.
Zaniolo, meanwhile, has moved to Villa on a season-long loan deal from Turkish club Galatasaray and the 24-year-old winger has since played 10 times in all tournaments for Unai Emery's side.
It remains to be seen whether Tonali and Zaniolo will be available for selection when Newcastle and Aston Villa return to Premier League action against Crystal Palace and West Ham United respectively in just over a weeks' time.
Italy have since announced that Roma attacker Stephan El Shaarawy has been called up to the Azzurri squad ahead of the fixtures with Malta and England.
Oliver Thomas
