Mr Salvini, 45, is a key member of the centre-right wing coalition led by Silvio Berlusconi and the leader of the heavily eurosceptic Lega (The League).
His party is the second-largest of the alliance currently seen as the favourite to win the most seats in the Italian election 2018, which makes him one of the candidates that could become the future Italian PM.
Dubbed “the Italian Farage” for his anti-European views, he has vowed to make “extreme” reforms to European laws if elected and threatened the EU with the possibility of an “Italexit”.
He also pledged in his party’s manifesto to “defend Italian borders from the invasion” of illegal immigrants.
What would Matteo Salvini mean for Brexit and EU?
Salvini previously said Brexit should be an example for Italy, describing it as a “breath of fresh air”.
He added: “Brexit should make Italians reflect. The UK had a privileged role in the EU, very privileged.
“They had their own money, they defended their borders, they received a lot more money from the EU compared to what they had to pay out.
“Despite their advantages, Britons decided it was in their own interests to leave the EU.
“We’re not English, we’re Italians, we’re at the heart of Europe, one of the founder members of the EU, we either change our way to stay in Europe or what’s the point continuing to pay the EU?”
Mr Salvini, who in 2014 stated that it is “impossible to reform the EU, it should just be demolished and rebuilt from the ground”, has been battling Brussels from within since he was first elected MEP in 2003.
Hailing Brexit as an example to follow and an opportunity, the Eurosceptic said unless Italy changes its position in Europe “there is no point in continuing to pay the EU”.
He told Italian TV channel La7: “I will fight until the end to try and change the rules of this Europe.
“They can give me two answers: they can say yes, or they can say no.
“If they say yes to my proposals, I’ll be happy to stay in Europe with a purpose.
“If they say no, I need to be ready to defend Italian people’s economic interests, debating everything, starting from the euro.”
Salvini has pledged in his party’s manifesto to be a thorn in the European Union’s side, which he dubbed “a strong and fearsome enemy”.
The leader of the right-wing Lega – formerly called Lega Nord – said he will fight Brussels to make sure “Italians come first” should he become Italy’s next Prime Minister.
Focusing his electoral campaign on fighting illegal immigration and protecting Italy from the EU’s “unfair” financial laws, he frequently criticises both Eurocrats’ calls for greater integration and the euro, which he renamed “a German currency”.
Speaking on La7 Coffee Break, he said: “We need to put Italian interests before those of the European Union, or at least at the same level.
“The laws imposed by Brussels damage Italian artisans, traders, pensioners, but hey, Europe is asking so we have to obey.”
Mr Salvini also complained only a small group of people in Europe hold “the real power” to take decision for the whole bloc.