According to Italian news agency ANSA, the doctors are thought to have given the 31-year-old a medical certificate which declared him fit to play despite evidence he was suffering from a heart condition.

The Italian international defender was found at Fiorentina's hotel in Udine where his side were preparing for a Serie A clash against Udinese in March.

An initial post-mortem cited bradyarrhythmia - where the heart slows down so much it stops - as the cause of death and the public prosecutor’s office in Florence is looking into whether manslaughter charges could be brought.

According to the Florence-based outlet La Nazione, Astori’s cardiac tests showed signs of an irregular heartbeat.

The findings obtained by the publication have since been passed on to the investigators.

Udine's chief prosecutor Antonio De Nicolo had claimed in March that the opened criminal proceedings with "a hypothesis of manslaughter".

Astori won 14 caps for Italy and had made 58 appearances for Florence-based Fiorentina since joining them from Cagliari in 2016.

He previously spent eight years at AC Milan after coming through the youth system.

This included loan spells at Roma and Fiorentina before his permanent move.

Astori was a member of the Italy squad for the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil.

He scored his only international goal in the third-place play-off against Uruguay, won by Italy on penalties.

He also became a father for the first time in February.