Nantes owner Waldemir Kita has revealed that he would not stand in Claudio Ranieri's way if the club's boss were offered the chance to manage Italy.

Ranieri is currently nearing the end of his first campaign with the Ligue 1 outfit, but the former Chelsea and Leicester City boss has been linked with his national team and Lyon.

While not commenting on domestic links, Kita has said that he would allow Ranieri to take any chance to manage the Azzurri with his blessing.

Kita told L'Equipe: "His future? Let's wait until the end of the season. Sincerely, I repeat: for Italy, he'd be able to leave, but nothing's been decided yet.

"As for what I think, I hope he stays because we've started a project, which we must continue, otherwise it'll be hassle on our part."

Ranieri has recorded 13 wins and 10 draws from his 38 matches in charge.