* Contador to leave Astana at end of season
* Tour champion will take time to study new offers
* Media reports suggest he could join team manager Riis
(adds details, background)
By Julien Pretot
PARIS, July 28 (Reuters) - Tour de France champion Alberto
Contador has decided not to renew his contract with Astana and
will leave the Kazakh-funded team at the end of the season, the
Spaniard said on Wednesday.
"Although the position of both parties was not so far from
each other, the team wanted to know urgently whether or not (he
would renew his contract)", said a statement from Contador's
press officer.
"Alberto Contador has rejected the ultimatum of Astana," the
statement read, adding the team had expected a decision by
Tuesday at the latest on their offer to extend his contract for
an unspecified number of seasons.
"His contract will end at the end of this season.
"After winning the 2010 Tour he will take time to calmly
study all the offers that come his way for racing in the coming
seasons, without any of them being ruled out at the moment," the
statement concluded.
Reports have suggested the 27-year-old could join up with
team manager Bjarne Riis who has been looking for sponsors.
Contador joined Astana in 2008 after the Discovery Channel
team was disbanded following the Pinto-born rider's Tour triumph
in 2007.
With Astana, Contador won the Tour de France twice in 2009
and 2010 as well as the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta (both 2008).
But following his 2009 Tour win, Contador's future with
Astana appeared uncertain after a turbulent year marked by
delayed wages and a difficult relationship with his then team
mate Lance Armstrong.
Seven-times Tour champion Armstrong and team manager Johan
Bruyneel quit Astana to form RadioShack and Contador eventually
agreed to stay with the Kazakh-based outfit until the end of
2010.
Contador won the Paris-Nice race with Astana in March and
then added a third Tour title last Sunday, beating Luxembourg's
Andy Schleck by 39 seconds in the overall classification.
(Additional reporting by Alison Wildey in Barcelona; Editing
by Ken Ferris)