Guercilena believes Italian has chosen to sign for Bahrain project
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Luca Guercilena manager of the Trek Factory Racing team(Image credit: Photopress.be)
Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) won the 2016 Tour of Oman(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara with Swiss national coach Luca Guercilena (Image credit: Ilario Biondi/Bettini Photo)
Vincenzo Nibali meets his fans(Image credit: Cyclingnews)
Fabian Cancellara shows off the team's new sponsor(Image credit: Trek-Segafredo)
Trek-Segafredo manager Luca Guercilena has confirmed that his team has ended its attempt to sign Vincenzo Nibali, whose contract with Astana expires at the end of this season.
Nibali has been linked in recent weeks with a move to a potential new Bahraini-sponsored team in 2017, and speaking to Cyclingnews and Gazzetta dello Sport in Bruges on Friday evening, Guercilena said that he believed this project was now the Sicilian's most likely destination.
"To me it seems quite clear that he has chosen the Bahrain project, from what's being said around. We made our offer and we were told that he has made other choices, so we'll move on other fronts," Guercilena said.
In an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport earlier this month, however, Nibali appeared to pour cold water on the prospect of moving to Trek-Segafredo, saying: "I don't know how much interest they really have in me."
Nibali has already stated that he would look to bring a group of riders, as well as trainer Paolo Slongo and soigneur Michele Pallini, with him from Astana to any new team.
"We had a clear deadline and once that time passed, we moved in other directions," Guercilena said on Friday. "It's clear that an athlete of his level was interesting to us, and with Segafredo joining Trek as a sponsor, we could have created something interesting, both in Italy and internationally.
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"Trek had already offered him a chance to ride last season when it looked as though Astana might lose their WorldTour licence. We showed our interest in Nibali then, we've shown it again this year. We made our offer with a clear deadline and the response didn't come, so we're moving in other directions."
Trek-Segafredo's interest in Nibali was inspired in no small part by the desire to replace Fabian Cancellara, who retires at the end of 2016, with a star name of similar status. Guercilena said that the team was still looking to bring in a high calibre rider for 2017, and the pursuit of Nibali was proof that the team is not necessarily seeking a like-for-like replacement for Cancellara.
Barry Ryan was Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.
