Vincenzo Nibali is reportedly close to signing a deal that will see him return to Astana in 2022 for the final contract of his extensive vocation.
According to a report in La Gazzetta dello Activity, Nibali’s agent Johnny Carera mentioned a offer was “in the final kilometre”, with the existence of reliable Directeur Sportif Giuseppe Martinelli in the Astana crew motor vehicle regarded as a vital aspect in Nibali’s transfer from Trek-Segafredo.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Team BikeExchange were being also interested in Nibali, with bicycle sponsor Bianchi eager to see him use their celeste-coloured bikes in the remaining a long time of his career. On the other hand, Nibali is apparently keen to return to Astana, wherever he enjoyed the peak of his job between 2013 and 2016, successful the 2014 Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia in 2013 and 2016.
“There’s no signature on the agreement but almost everything implies that direction, unless some thing suddenly goes mistaken,” Carera said.
Freshly confirmed team supervisor Alexander Vinokourov is performing to shut the deal on Nibali’s return soon after the Kazakhstani group house owners verified the squad will keep on in 2022 right after the exit of Canadian part-owner and sponsor Leading Tech.
“I’ll be the team manager and I’m optimistic that with a new and more serene environment in the workforce we can build a good team. Nibali? We’re close to a deal,” Vinokourov instructed La Gazzetta dello Sport.
In accordance to the well-informed Italian sports newspaper, Nibali will be the only large-identify arrival at Astana for 2022, with a variety of riders predicted to leave. Aleksandr Vlasov has currently been introduced as a Bora-Hansgrohe rider for 2022, while the future of Jakob Fuglsang in Astana’s sky blue colours continues to be unclear.
The Astana workforce experienced delayed creating their roster for 2022 until the team possession and management issues had been solved. With the 2022 group managed and funded by Kazakhstani sponsors, which includes the sovereign prosperity fund Samruk-Kazyna, Vinokourov is operating on his roster.
Nibali is currently having fun with some time away from racing in his native Sicily immediately after using the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and the Olympic Online games road race. Trek-Segafredo have extended Giulio Ciccone’s contract but never appeared interested in keeping Nibali soon after two winless seasons soured their connection.
In accordance to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Nibali’s trustworthy soigneur Michele Palini will transfer with him to Astana but previous coach Paolo Slongo and trusted veteran workforce physician Emilio Magni will remain at Trek-Segafredo. Nibali could be joined by Valerio Conti from UAE Group Emirates, even though Gianni Moscon has also been joined to Astana. He is not predicted to keep at Ineos Grenadiers but is also courting a shift to Deceuninck-QuickStep.
