Vincenzo Nibali is definitely one of the hottest names on the transfer market next year. The contract between the Sicilian and Astana is due to expire at the end of 2016 and the winner of the 2014 Tour de France will have to decide where to ride in 2017.

As reported in today's edition of Gazzetta dello Sport , there is great uncertainty as there are many options on the table but it seems to be a certainty that Nibali will make his decision before the Giro d’Italia.

Among the offers, there is a renewal with Astana . The Italian paper reports that there is at least 30% chance that Nibali will stay in the Kazakh team as there have been lots of contact between the parties after the Vuelta and the Abu Dhabi Tour. Apparently, Astana will do their utmost to keep one of their star riders.

At the moment, the most likely option is that Nibali will ride for a different team in 2017 and Trek seem to be in pole position. Luca Guercilena’s team tried to sign Nibali already last year when there was uncertainty about Astana’s WorldTour license and he could make the move next season, especially due to the possible entry of an Italian sponsor. 

“It’s still only 2015 but obviously we’d always be interested in a rider of the calibre of Vincenzo,” Guercilena told Cyclingnews.

“2016 marks the end of the first three-year cycle for the Trek Factory Racing team and so it’ll be important to plan carefully for the future. It’s clear the team will have new goals in future.”

BMC is also reported to be an option while the chances that he will join Tinkoff seem to be waning just like the possibility that Nibali will make his own team with Italian or foreign sponsors.