Yesterday De Telegraaf reported that Belkin had decided to buy Luis Leon Sanchez out of the remaining part of his contract with the Dutch team but according to Sanchez' agent Angel Buenache, it was his own wish to leave the team. Buenache tells Biciciclismo that his rider is close to signing a contract with another ProTeam.

Luis Leon Sanchez' association with Belkin has been a turbulent one and yesterday it was reported in Dutch media that the team had decided to terminate its association with the multiple Tour de France stage winner. According to a team spokesman, his links to doping scandals Operacion Puerto and Operaction Galgo and association with banned doctor Michele Ferrari made it impossible to keep him in the ranks.

Belkin, then known as Blanco, had decided to suspend Sanchez when new information emerged in January that further linked him to Operacion Puerto. Sanchez went to the Arbitration Commission to the UCI to be allowed to race again and while Sanchez was allowed to return to competition in the Tour of Belgium, the parties agreed to terminate the contract already in May.

According to Sanchez' agent Angel Buenache, there was a mutual agreement not to make any public announcements regarding the announcement and he very annoyed by the recent leaks to the press. Buenache stresses that it was in the interest of both parties to leave the team.

"We have been interested in leaving the team for months," he told Biciclismo. "Sanchez did not only have any support, they hurt him every ten minutes."

"There is an agreement to keep things confidential in the ruling by the UCI," he added.."We will do things as they have to be done and we will not say anything until the time is right. Therefore I won't confirm or deny anything regarding that agreement. They have violated the agreement between the two parties."

Sanchez' future is now up in the air but according to Buenache, negotiations with another ProTeam are "advanced".

"We are negotiating," he said. "He will make an official statement when the team has made the announcement. Luis Leon is a very dear person in the peloton."

Despite his limited racing, Sanchez managed to win the queen stage of the Tour of Belgium and a big mountain stage in the Tour de l'Ain. His last race with Belkin was the Vuelta which he abandoned due to hypothermia.