Chris Froome has shared his thoughts on his future, amid speculation he could change teams this season.
The four-time Tour de France winner is rumoured to be considering a team-change, either mid-way through 2020 or when his contract with Team Ineos expires at the end of the season.
Froome has been linked with a number of WorldTour squads, including Israel Start-Up Nation, while Movistar has denied any interest in the British Grand Tour star.
The 34-year-old will be racing the Challenge of Stars this weekend, a virtual race from the organiser of the Giro d’Italia.
In a press conference ahead of the virtual event, which will be raced on the Bkool training platform, Froome told Spanish newspaper Marca: “There are several things to consider, but I am in the middle of the process right now. During the next weeks and months I have to clarify in my head.
“I hope I have a clearer picture of what the future holds when all these current distractions have passed.”
Rumours have linked the Froome with Israel Start-Up Nation who have not denied their interest, while Team Ineos have dismissed the speculation as “fake news.”
Reports recently suggested that Movistar, currently home to Alejandro Valverde, were one of the teams interested in signing Froome, but the team has now denied the rumours.
Froome says he is back to his best after suffering awful injuries in a crash during last year’s Critérium du Dauphinè.
The 34-year-old is targeting a fifth Tour de France victory this year, if the Tour de France goes ahead on its rescheduled start on August 29
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Talk of Froome’s transfer stemmed could have from his agent, as he looks for a contract renewal with Team Ineos at the end of 2020, as his current deal with the team comes to an end.
But in recent years Froome has been forced to sacrifice his leadership responsibilities to his team-mates, first to Geraint Thomas mid-way through the 2018, then to Egan Bernal last year when his injuries forced him to skip the Tour.
Challenge of Stars is a virtual tournament featuring professional riders, taking place on May 23-24, with eight climbers and eight sprinters fighting it out on the turbo trainers.
A winner will be crowned from each category.
Chris Froome will go head-to-head with Warren Barguil (Arkèa-Samsic) in the first round, with Vincenzo Nibali (Trek-Segafredo), Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal) and Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) also taking part.
