Reports that Chris Froome is set to join Dan Martin’s Israel Start-Up Nation have resurfaced with Italian media reporting he will join the team before the Tour de France.
The move would mean Froome would displace Ireland’s Marin (33) as the leader of the team during the French Grand Tour, where Froome will be aiming for a fifth overall win.
Neither Israel Start-Up National nor Froome’s Team Ineos
have made any comment to deny or confirm the move.
However, after cyclingnews broke the news last month that a mid-season transfer was being discussed, the usually reliable Tuttobiciweb site in Italy has now said Froome could be about to join the team within days.
At Team Ineos, Froome (35) is coming back from injury into a line-up that contains last year’s winner and runner-up at the Tour de France, Egan Bernal (23) and Geraint Thomas (34).
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Though Froome has won the Tour four times and Thomas won
it two years ago, they are nearing the end of their careers and Team Ineos
clearly sees Bernal as its long term future star.
Froome’s contract is due to expire at the end of this year and he is said to want a new deal in place before the delayed Tour starts on August 29th, though he is yet to agree one with Team Ineos.
The ongoing contract talks, coupled with the changing dynamic in the team and a question mark over whether Froome can come back successfully from his crash of last year, aged 35, mean a mid-season transfer would not be impossible.
Tuttobiciweb has reported that Froome is on the cusp of a
three-year deal with Israel Start-Up Nation that would begin on August 1st.
It would mean Team Ineos would have to agree to allow him walk away from his contract so he could go to a rival team and challenge Bernal and Thomas at the Tour.
That is something that would damage Dan Martin’s freedom at the team and would also significantly impact him next season. Tuttobiciweb’s report states a decision is due very soon.
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