Bahrain McLaren manager Rod Ellingworth has revealed that negotiations are ongoing between Mark Cavendish and his current team over whether the veteran sprinter will stay with the team in 2021.

Cavendish, 35, will be in a support role at Ghent-Wevelgem on Sunday and will lead the team at Scheldepri on Wednesday.

Cavendish signed a deal with Bahrain McLaren earlier this year to restart his career, but has struggled to produce significant results.

Asked by reporters at the start of stage 8 of the Giro d'Italia about Cavendish's future, Ellingworth said, "We are still working on the roster for next year. We are working on it."

Asked if a deadline has been set for whether Cavendish will continue with the team and if he expects Cavendish to continue racing through 2021, Ellingworth said, "There are a lot of things happening, like the breakup of the team, so at the moment everything is I'm keeping it open. But there is no doubt that he will continue to race."

Ellingworth said.

Ellingworth also admitted that Bahrain McLaren's other star rider, Mikel Landa, will not lead the team at the upcoming Vuelta a España, as some had speculated.

"We have some good options: Matej (Mohoric) will go, Wout (Poels) will go, and (2019 Vuelta leader) Dylan Tuns is a possibility. It's a good group, with some young riders. But it's not a full Grand Tour, so the young guys might be given a chance. But Mikel wasn't going to run the Vuelta."

As for the Giro d'Italia, where Pero Bilbao is in second place overall, Ellingworth was confident in the Basque rider's chances.

"We have a good group here and a lot of riders we haven't raced with very often, so it will get better day by day. Pero is in great shape and we came here with an open attitude."

"So he is taking it one day at a time and his first goal is to stay at the top of the GC and win the bike race if he can."

Ellingworth praised Bilbao's attitude toward the Giro, calling it "world class, a perfect 10."

"If he's off the GC, it won't be because he's given up, but because he's mentally burned out. But at the moment he's really enjoying himself and having fun racing."

Ellingworth admitted that the COVID-19 situation continues to worsen, with the ongoing shutdown and speculation about whether the Giro can be completed, adding considerable stress to the situation. And he insisted that it was even more important than usual under these circumstances to stay focused, as Bilbao had done.

"I think there is mental fatigue this season. Even if you haven't done a lot of racing, everybody feels a little bit long. Normally you're tired because you've fought the whole season, but now it feels very strange.

"In terms of how we're positioned this season, we're doing well. [I just had a meeting with the riders and I told them that everything is not going well right now and the team that stays mentally strong will win