'Chris Froome not worth investing in' - Deceuninck–Quick-Step’s Patrick Lefevere

A report in The Times this week said Froome could leave Team Ineos before the Tour de France to join Israel Start-Up Nation.

The four-time Tour de France winner is said to be considering an offer from the Israel-based team that would see the 35-year-old being bought out of the remainder of his contract which runs out at the end of the year.

Lefevere questioned the move in his column for Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, before wrongly claiming Froome’s wife is the cyclist’s agent and would therefore prove problematic in any negotiations.

"I'm not going to speak for anyone else here, but personally I wouldn't invest in a project around Froome anymore. Respect for his palmarès, but will he still win the Tour at the age of 35?,” Lefevere said.

"What would also concern me with Froome: his manager is his wife Michelle Cound. Not that I would immediately turn it into a deal-breaker, but that kind of collaboration only causes misery. For Abraham Olano's contract, you had to pass through Mapei through his wife at the time.

"The same goes for brothers who act as agents. That was the case with Oscar Freire and Alberto Contador. At QuickStep we once sat around the table with his brother Fran Contador. Alberto himself was not present, but Fran had invited a lawyer.

“That conversation was not about anything, because one did not speak English and the other did not speak French. I found that shameful for Frans De Cock, who is used to doing business at a high level. Alberto Contador never rode for our team and I have never regretted it."