Nicky Hayden begins Honda talks as Ducati rumour hots up

Nicky Hayden has started talks with Honda as rumours intensify that he is a red-hot favourite to join reigning world champion Casey Stoner in Ducati’s factory squad.

Hayden is out of contract at the end of 2008, but with Italian Andrea Dovizioso hotly-tipped to take his factory Honda RC212V, he is looking at other options.

Ducati team boss Livio Suppo is coy about Hayden’s prospects of replacing struggling Italian Marco Melandri, but MCN sources claim a deal is close to being signed for Hayden to partner Aussie Stoner in 2009.

He certainly tops a list of candidates to replace Melandri.

“We owe it to Honda to sit down with them and start talking with them before anybody else,” said Phil Baker, representative of Hayden’s management team.

“We’ll see their level of interest before we go elsewhere.”

Baker denied that Hayden had commenced talks with Ducati, or Yamaha and he added: “We have to keep every option possible open. It is nice to be wanted but I feel confident that Honda will be open to start the discussions and we’ll see where we stand from there.

“We have never doubted Nicky’s ability to perform well given the right combination of tyres and bike.”