Team Sky boss Dave Brailsford has admitted that world champion Mark Cavendish could leave the team if he wanted to go.
The world's best sprinter signed a three-year deal last October but could find himself out of the spotlight as Sky go in search of adding to their Tour de France victory.
Being a sprinter, Cavendish is helped out by having his team work to set up sprint finishes for him, but Sky would not be able to frequently use their resources to help create the finish for the 'Manx Missle', which has prompted Brailsford to leave the door open for 27-year-old to leave.
"If he felt, or if it was felt, that he would like a dedicated team around him, then he is quite within his rights to want to do that," said Brailsford.
"This team will keep its GC (general classification) ambitions and I am sure that we will sit down and discuss that with Mark and see how he feels about that.
"He is a prolific British winner and on the one hand we would love to have a prolific British winner on the team. We wouldn't fall out about it, there wouldn't be an issue about it, but we are very proud to have him on Team Sky, he is a fantastic champion and long may that continue."
Cavendish's teammate Bradley Wiggins made history on Sunday as he became the first Brit to win the Tour de France.
Matt Cotton
