Aprilia have made Francesco Bagnaia a £2.6m offer to join their MotoGP team in 2027

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Francesco Bagnaia has now received an improved offer from Aprilia as the battle for his signature continues, according to a report. Bagnaia is expected to leave Ducati, with Pedro Acosta’s arrival imminent.

The two-time MotoGP champion has made it clear that he wants to ride for a factory team, rather than accepting a satellite seat. It looks to be a battle between Yamaha and Aprilia.

Aprilia have renewed Marco Bezzecchi’s contract, but Jorge Martin is expected to join Yamaha as the replacement for Fabio Quartararo.

If you were Francesco Bagnaia, where would YOU go for 2027?

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Bagnaia could take the other Yamaha seat, currently occupied by Alex Rins, but Massimo Rivola is trying extremely hard to convince him.

Aprilia are making a ‘sentimental’ appeal to Francesco Bagnaia

According to Motorsport ES, Bagnaia rejected Aprilia’s first offer. His preference at the outset was to join a Japanese manufacturer, but Honda want a young talent to partner Quartararo.

This put Yamaha clearly ‘in the lead’ and there was growing confidence that they were about to finalise a deal before Aprilia made a fresh push.

Martin’s anticipated departure has freed up around €3m (£2.6m), and that is believed to be the ‘starting figure’ in the renewed negotiations with Aprilia.

Rivola is making a ‘sentimental’ appeal to Bagnaia as he pursues a ‘dream’, all-Italian line-up. He is already a friend of Bezzecchi, a fellow graduate of the VR46 Academy.

Yamaha may accidentally have offended Pecco Bagnaia

Marc Marquez’s contract extension is thought to be imminent, and the announcement could prompt multiple star riders to sign on the dotted line with their desired teams.

Yamaha will put ‘pressure’ on Bagnaia to make his decision, but Martin, his 2023 and 2024 title rival, is their priority.

On the contrary, Bagnaia is Aprilia’s top target, and that could ‘carry some weight’ in the negotiations.

Having been ruthlessly ousted by Ducati, Bagnaia may want to join a team where he feels truly valued. Aprilia have also been linked with Enea Bastianini, which may be the backup plan.