Serie A planning a tournament in the U.S. during World Cup. Andrea Staccioli/Insidefoto/LightRocket via Getty Images

The chief executive of Italy's Serie A said that they want to organize a tournament in the United States during this year's World Cup, using players not called up by their national sides, to boost their international profile.

Major European leagues will have to take an unusual break during their domestic season because of the World Cup in November and December.

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We want to keep our players fit while promoting ourselves in a market which we consider strategic, according to De Siervo.

The players not involved with their national teams would not participate in the event.

De Siervo said that fixes would be scheduled to avoid any overlap with the World Cup calendar.

Genoa, the oldest soccer team in Italy, became the sixth top-league side under U.S. ownership last year.

The World Cup would start a week after the start of the tournament and the group stages would be followed by knockout matches.

The number of Italy-based players in the World Cup could be as high as 85, according to the head of the competition.

The Italian league is looking at ways to get permission for players from other countries to join teams that have their ranks reduced by national team call-ups.

A final decision on the project could be taken within two months, according to Butti.

The English Premier League and Spain's LaLiga have seen their popularity abroad increase in recent years, boosting their revenue.