Italian sprinter Elia Viviani says he's set to join Team Sky

Italian sprinter Elia Viviani has said he is set to join Team Sky from Italian outfit Cannondale, which is merging with Garmin-Sharp.

The 25-year-old, from Isola della Scala in the province of Verona, told Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport that he is close to finalising a contract with the British ProTeam having also received offers from Orica-GreenEdge and BMC Racing.

"Some details still need to be ironed out, my agent is on holiday, but the contract is there, ready to be signed and delivered to Dave Brailsford,” he said.

“Team Sky believes in me and thinks that I can bring them victories but above all they want me to represent Italy within their project [Sky Italia provides some of the team’s funding – ed].”

Besides being a sprinter on the road, Viviani is also a track specialist, and is a world championship silver medallist in the scratch race. 

Currently, he is racing in the European Track Championships in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe, where he is the defending champion in the Madison and points race.

He says a big part of the appeal of Sky is the support they will give to his track ambitions, with an eye to riding for Italy at Rio in 2016.

“They’ve assured me of their support for my hopes of riding on the track and taking part in the next Olympic Games,” he added. “Sky has a wealth of experience on the track.”

The rider also outlined his programme for the opening months of 2015. In February, he will be at the world track championships at the recently opened French national velodrome at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines near Paris.

He will then turn his attention to the road, riding Milan-San Remo and the Flanders Classics, ahead of the Giro d’Italia, which would be his third successive participation in the race.

As yet Team Sky has neither confirmed or denied Viviani's claims.