On the day when his non-selection for the Tour de France became public, FDJ manager Marc Madiot admits that Nacer Bouhanni is unlikely to stay with the team when his contract expires at the end of the season. At the moment, he simply doesn't have the budget to keep his star sprint.

Earlier today it was announced that Nacer Bouhanni was not selected for the Tour de France and this has added more fuel to the debate about his future. Now FDJ manager Marc Madiot admits that they are likely to part ways.

Earlier this year Nacer Bouhanni wasn't selected for Milan-Sanremo which was his main goal in the first part of the season. The former French champion publicly vented his frustration and since then the internal rivalry with Arnaud Demare has only become fiercer.

Bouhanni's contrat expires at the end of the season and a few weeks ago he said that he now had to decide between three teams that had made almost identical contract offers. At the time, it was rumoured that FDJ, Cofidis and an unnamed foreign team were the ones in contention.

Bouhanni also said that he would only extend his contract with FDJ if he could do the Tour and said that he needed a team that would allow him to do the entire classics season. With Demare having similar goals, FDJ are probably unable to provide the needed guarantees and now Madiot also says that he is in need of money to keep his sprinter on the roster.

“I’m not without hope of finding the budget to keep Nacer but I don’t have it today. There is more chance of him leaving than staying with the team,” Madiot told L'Equipe. The French paper reports that his asking price is €1.5 to €1.7 million per year for two seasons, and any prospective new team would also be expected to take part of his current FDJ lead-out train.

Cannondale and Omega Pharma-Quick Step have both been mentioned as possible future destinations.

Madiot also elaborated on the reasons for his non-selection for the Tour.

“A combination of elements led to this decision. We weren’t sure that he would go all the way at the Giro,” he  said. “Today he doesn’t feel tired, but he could feel the knock-on effect at the Tour.

“We had a frank and direct conversation when I called him to say he wouldn’t be doing the Tour. It’s always difficult. We’re going to concentrate on the French championships. The situation doesn’t change anything for our strategy. The important thing is that the title stays with the team.”

Bouhanni