Luciano Spalletti will stay on as Italy coach despite the Azzurri's humbling elimination from Euro 2024, the country's football chief said on Sunday.

Italy kick off their European Championship title defence against Albania on Saturday as a new-look team tries to rebuild the reputation of one of the world's most important football nations.

Luciano Spalletti has said that his side must "aspire" to retain their European Championship crown, even if it seems a longshot.

Italy coach Luciano Spalletti made 11 changes to the lineup from Thursday's 2-1 win over Venezuela, which was the first of the two matches on the U.S tour, giving more players a chance to prove themselves before the Euro 2024 finals in Germany.

Italy occupy the second of two automatic qualifying places in Group C after Spalletti's first win on his home debut, which came thanks to two strikes in the first half-an-hour at the San Siro from Inter Milan midfielder Frattesi.

Luciano Spalletti leads Italy into a symbolic debut on Saturday as the Azzurri travel to North Macedonia in Euro 2024 qualifying, a chance to exorcise the ghosts of World Cup disaster.

The Italian Football Federation and Luciano Spalletti have reached an agreement for him to succeed Roberto Mancini as coach of the national team, according to reports in the Italian press on Friday.

Spalletti has just led Napoli to the Serie A title for the first time since 1990 but there has been speculation about whether he would stay on.

Giacomo Raspadori smashed in the stoppage time decider to claim a huge win at Juve which pushed Napoli 17 points clear at the top of the table, sweeping aside disappointment at being knocked out of the Champions League by AC Milan midweek.

Napoli must seize their "unprecedented opportunity" to win the Scudetto after reaching 50 points at the halfway mark of the Serie A season by beating Salernitana, said Luciano Spalletti.

Former Roma coach Luciano Spalletti says he has agreed to take over at Inter Milan as he flew to China to meet the Serie A club's owners ahead of his imminent appointment.