Seven-times MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi has dismissed speculation he will be retiring from the sport at the end of the season, saying he is in fact on the verge of signing a new deal with Petronas Yamaha.
Rossi, 41, will leave the Yamaha factory team at the end of the season but is poised for a seat at the satellite Petronas Yamaha outfit in a straight swap with young Frenchman Fabio Quartararo.
The Italian said he expects an announcement on his new deal at the Catalan Grand Prix in two weeks.
"It's not true," Rossi said ahead of his home San Marino Grand Prix this weekend.
"We take time with Yamaha because we are not in a hurry and we have something to fix. But we are very close to signing and I will race with Petronas next year.
"I want to say 99% because it's not signed. But I think that maybe in Barcelona we can give the announcement."
