VR46 has confirmed ‘interest’ in signing Fermin Aldeguer for the 2027 MotoGP season.

Team director Alessio Salucci described last year’s race-winning rookie as a “fantastic rider” at COTA, adding weight to previous rumours that the young Spaniard will leave Gresini and join Ducati’s official satellite team.

Aldeguer’s arrival would be at the expense of VR46’s own Academy rider Franco Morbidelli, since Salucci said the future of team-mate Fabio di Giannantonio was “never in question”.

“We’re interested in Aldeguer; he’s a fantastic rider,” Salucci told Sky Italia.

“And di Giannantonio has never been in question. We’ve always wanted to move forward with him, and our renewal proposal will arrive soon.”

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di Giannantonio, like Aldeguer, is contracted directly to Ducati but benefits from factory-spec machinery, which he has taken to pole position in two of the opening three rounds, plus a pair of podiums in Brazil.

Despite being taken out by Marc Marquez on the opening lap of the COTA Sprint, Diggia remains the leading Ducati rider in the world championship standings, in fourth overall.

Former Yamaha title runner-up Morbidelli, like Aldeguer, rides a satellite-spec Desmosedici. The Italian is only 13th, with a best race result of eighth.

“It was a tough weekend,” Morbidelli said after cross the finish line in 14th at COTA on Sunday.

“We struggled every day, although less and less each day. Today in the race we managed to score two points: it’s not what we want, but it was important to finish the race to gather information and data. 

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“The feeling with the bike wasn’t great this weekend; we didn’t have rear grip. But we started from further back and improved more and more as the days went on. That’s a positive aspect. 

“Now we have a few weeks off, we’ll keep training and working with the team to do better and return to our best.”

Morbidelli, 31, joined VR46 after Pramac switched to Yamaha at the start of last season. He went on to claim four rostrums on his way to seventh in the world championship.

Meanwhile, with Alex Marquez expected to leave Gresini for KTM, the Faenza squad is tipped to field an all-new line-up featuring the returning Enea Bastianini and Moto2 star Dani Holgado.

VR46 originally hoped to sign another young Spanish star, Pedro Acosta, but the KTM rider is set to join the official Ducati team next season.

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