Former world champion Mario Cipollini could be back in the saddle as a professional at next month’s Tour of California as the long-rumored comeback with Rock Racing looks closer to being a done deal.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the 40-year-old colorful Italian has signed a contract to join the U.S. domestic team in a dual role of manager and racer. A formal announcement could come as soon as today at the opening day of the team’s training camp in Malibu, California.

The pairing of Cipollini, who retired in 2005, and outspoken team owner Michael Ball has quietly been in the works for months since the pair met at Interbike in Las Vegas last fall.

Cipollini, who will turn 41 in March, traveled to California this week to hammer out a deal after a five-hour meeting late Wednesday, La Gazzetta reported.

Details were sketchy, but it appears the deal could include some race time as well as a managerial role for the upstart American team, since the departure of Frankie Andreu in early January left the team without a sport director going into its second season.

That's assuming the deal goes down at all, however. On Friday, Cipollini himself threw some doubt on his joining the team in a telephone chat with Rai television.

"It's not an easy transition," he said. "We'll see. We're still in talks. But compared to two days ago, things are a bit more difficult. Something has happened."

The pairing of the flamboyant Cipollini and the iconoclastic Ball, who founded the Rock & Republic jeans company in 2002, almost seemed inevitable. The unlikely scenario of a Cipollini comeback gained traction last fall after Ball said there would be room for the sprinter on his team.

Just last week, Ball
told VeloNews’ Neal Rogers that while nothing had been confirmed, he was a big fan of Cipollini.

“He’s a good friend, he gives me great advice, and our relationship will continue into the future whether it's in business, or racing, or just as friendship. We will be friends forever,” Ball said. “This guy is a true rock star. Man, I have my moments, but this guy puts me to shame, let me tell you. He is fantastic, a lot of fun.”

Ball, the fashion mogul who has ambitious plans for his second-year team, has also penned deals with Tyler Hamilton, Oscar Sevilla and Santiago Botero, three riders with alleged links to the Operación Puerto doping scandal.

As one of cycling’s most charismatic stars, Cipollini won a record 42 stages at the Giro d’Italia and the world title in 2002. Since retiring in 2005, “Super Mario” has stayed in the public eye by appearing on such programs as “Dancing with the Stars” and as a TV commentator.

Cipollini is expected to train with the team and formally return to competition at next month’s Tour of California, though it’s unknown how much racing he might actually commit to.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Cipollini owed more than $1 million in back taxes to Italian authorities, perhaps giving him an extra incentive to earn a paycheck again as a professional racer. There were no details of how much the Italian sprinter would be paid.