Amid speculation over the pecking order of Team Ineos in this year's Tour de France, Cycling News reports that four-time Tour winner Chris Froome is in talks about a possible mid-season move.

Ineos leader Chris Froome has yet to sign a contract extension, and his current three-year deal expires at the end of this year.

The 34-year-old has stated several times that he intends to race at least four more years, with the possibility of a fifth Tour de France title as his main goal this year. But with the Tour de France leader still undecided and last year's winner, Egan Bernal, saying last week that he will not sacrifice his chances for his teammate, Ineos has many difficult decisions to make.

According to Cyclingnews, Froome has been in discussions with several teams about a contract beyond 2021, but with the Tour de France schedule changed to later in the season, plus the lack of clear leadership, he has been in talks with rival teams The possibility of a mid-season move has been raised.

According to Cycling News, two teams have approached Froome about a mid-season or end-of-season move. If a mid-season move were to take place (subject to the agreement of all parties involved), the British rider could take full leadership at the Tour.

Asked for an official comment, Froome did not go into details of his contract situation, but reiterated his focus on the Tour.

"After last year's crash and subsequent recovery, I'm confident I can get back to winning form at the Tour, and I don't know yet which team I'll be with after 2020," he told Cycling News.

"I don't plan to retire anytime soon. If anything, this fall has renewed my focus and motivation. I have worked harder than ever to get back to where I am now. I don't intend to let that go to waste."

Last week, Bernal told reporters that it would be hard to give up the chance to defend his Tour title in 2019: "I'm still young, I've already won one Tour de France and I'm not going to give up the chance to win another Tour de France. I will sacrifice myself and give 100% ...... I don't think I would do that, he wouldn't [with Froome], nobody would."

Team Ineos also has Geraint Thomas. The Welshman won the Tour in 2018 and finished second behind Bernal a year later. He too is determined to lead a team at the Tour, and while Ineos has used former winners in the past, he has never started the Tour de France with three previous winners.

Froome crashed in last year's Dauphiné and spent last summer and winter recuperating; in April he told the press that he is now fully fit and is aiming for a fifth Tour to match joint record holders like Eddy Merckx and Miguel Indurain. Froom even stated that his long-term goal is to surpass his current five wins.

Last month he told France's L'Equipe magazine: "My dream after retirement is to win more Tour de France than anyone else. That's the perfect scenario, but there is still a lot of work to do to make that happen.

"Given a successful recovery and my track record, that's the plan. I'd like to think it's possible. But I have the experience and the motivation.

"Through what I went through last year, I had a lot of time to think. I look at other athletes who have gone through similar experiences and come back stronger and I can see why. It gives me a whole new perspective on my career and racing. Cycling saw Valverde return to the Tour with a broken leg and become world champion the following season.

At the time, Froome was keen to put contract talks on hold, insisting that his top priority was to return to racing after the current blockade. However, as of now, no deal has been finalized with Ineos, and with teams already asking about his future next year, talk of a mid-season move has surfaced.

Such transfers are rare in cycling, with Rohan Dennis, who switched teams from Garmin to BMC Racing in 2014, the most high-profile athlete to make a mid-season move during the first two weeks of August, if all parties are in agreement, according to UCI rules. If all parties are in agreement, a rider may make a mid-season transfer during the first two weeks of August.

Cycling News has reached out to Team Ineos for comment on the status of Froome's contract.