Jakob Fuglsang expressed interest last week in competing in the 2021 Tour de France in the Copenhagen Grand Départ with a Danish sponsored team, but his agent downplayed the idea and said he is close to agreeing to a contract extension with Astana ProTeam.

Speaking to TV2, Fuglsang admitted that he would be tempted to reunite with former Saxo Bank manager Bjarne Riis if he could secure a Danish patron for NTT Pro Cycling. Riis became manager and co-owner of NTT earlier this year.

However, Fuglsang explained that he is under contract with Astana until 2021 and admitted that "something strange would have to happen" to work with Riis. His agent, Moreno Nicoletti, then said that Fuglsang would likely extend his contract with Astana for another year and remain with the Kazakhstan team until the end of the 2022 season. Astana was one of several WorldTour teams to take a pay cut during the race hiatus caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

"Jacob was the hope of the Danish rider who was speaking to Danish fans on Danish television. Nicoletti told Tuttobiciweb (opens in new tab). 'In fact, we are working to extend Aleksandr Vinokurov and Yakov's contract for another year and we are very close to signing him until the end of 2022.'

Fuglsang was coached by Riis at Saxo Bank in 2009 and 2010 before moving to the upstart Leopard Trek in 2011; he signed with Astana in 2013 and has been a member of the Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2019 and the 2017 and 2019 He won the Criterium du Dauphiné.

He finished seventh overall in the 2013 Tour and helped Vincenzo Nibali win the overall the following year. He will miss the 2020 Tour to lead Astana in the Giro d'Italia. [This came shortly after information was leaked to the Danish media linking Fuglsang and Astana teammate Alexey Lutsenko to Dr. Michele Ferrari. The players and the Astana team refuted the contents of the document.

The Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation expressed regret that the documents had become public and confirmed that it would not initiate disciplinary proceedings against Fuglsang and Lutsenko.

Fuglsang will resume competition at the Strade Bianche on August 1 and will also compete in the Tour de Pollogne, Il Lombardia, and Tirreno Adriatico before the Giro.