Fabio Panetta, director of international and European relations at the European Central Bank, attends the award ceremony for the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany at Bellevue Palace in Berlin, Germany, January 31, 2020. REUTERS/Annegret HilseROME, Sept 20 (Reuters) - ECB board member Fabio Panetta is resisting calls from Giorgia Meloni, the front-runner to be Italy's next prime minister, to take the job of economy minister should the rightist bloc win election on Sunday, two political sources told Reuters. Meloni, the leader of the Brothers of Italy party, wants Panetta to replace Daniele Franco at the helm of the Italian Treasury, but Panetta has made it clear he is not interested in the role, the sources said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterPanetta, 63, is a veteran of more than three decades at Italy's central bank and has sat on the Executive Board of the European Central Bank (ECB) since the start of 2020. A third, separate source close to the matter confirmed Panetta was the leading candidate to replace Visco.

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