Katusha general manager Viatcheslav Ekimov has told Cyclingnews that as long as Luca Paolini’s B-sample for cocaine comes back negative, the Italian can have a future with his team.

“If there is the decision that Luca is able to ride, we will take a special meeting, we’ll sit down, talk to Luca, to his agent, and we’ll see how we can be there, either involved or not involved, together or completely apart," he said. 

He says the veteran has damaged his reputation and that Ekimov hasn’t had much communication with him to see where his head is at, as none of the Russian’s phone calls have been returned by the Italian in the five months since he tested positive.

"It’s about how the guy is motivated. Maybe he’s just thinking he’s not going to return to cycling - we don’t know. I think if Luca wants to race again, he needs to continue training all the time. I think he is carrying on training. If he’s training now that’s one of the signs that he wants to return to cycling," Ekimov told Cyclingnews.

"The thing is, he has to work on his image, on his reputation, he has to prove the motivation to ride again, dedicate his time to professional work. Without this, he has no chance."