Cycling: The WorldTour Team Astana wants to sue the Italian champion, Fabio Aru, for damages because of his move to the UEA Emirates team.
"We will demand compensation from him for the damage he has caused. We are grateful to him for spending so many years on our team. That's why it's unpleasant, but he chose this path," ex-professional and Astana team manager Alexander Vinokurov told Kazakh website Vesti.kz.
The reason for the allegations against Aru is the late announcement of the transfer in mid-October. As a result, the Astana team had little opportunity to find a suitable replacement. All top-class drivers at a similar level of performance are now contractually bound. However, it is still unclear which legal regulation should serve as the basis for the lawsuit. There is said to have been a clause in Aru's contract with Astana that would have obliged the Italian to stay if Astana had offered a higher offer than that of the competition.