Trek-Segafredo confident in Alberto Contador after missing out on Vincenzo Nibali

Trek-Segafredo boss Luca Guercilena feels another Grand Tour win is possible for Alberto Contador despite admitting Vincenzo Nibali was the team's first choice signing.

Contador's Tinkoff team was broken up at the end of the 2016 season and he signed a one-year deal with Trek, who go into the year boosted by additional sponsorship money from Italian coffee company Segafredo.

But Guercilena, who was also able to sign Classics star and leading sprinter John Degenkolb, has revealed Nibali would have been his preferred high-profile signing.

Nibali left Astana at the end of 2016, a year which saw him claim overall victory at the Giro d'Italia for a second time, but instead opted to join the new Bahrain-Merida team.

"Having an Italian sponsor meant that signing an Italian rider was the first choice. So we went and investigated as to whether he was available," Guercilena told Cyclingnews.

"I think we were quite close with him. There were some differences in numbers but I don't think that's the main reason he decided not to come.

"If you look at the team he's going to ride for, it's a team that's entirely built around him. Here we have our set-up and for sure we accept riders coming in with a small group but we weren't founding a team around him."

Contador turned 34 in December and put off retirement after earlier saying 2016 would be his last season, and Guercilena feels it is a decision that could bring rewards.

He failed to finish this year's Tour de France after being involved in a crash but recovered to finish fourth in the Vuelta a Espana.

Guercilena added: "I think Alberto can win another Grand Tour. I believe he is strong enough and that the capacity he has is huge. He still has the physiological capacity to win.

"What we'd like to do is put him in a calm environment in which he can go to the start of the race and know that we're all supporting him. That he doesn't need to be stressed about other kinds of stuff and that he can just focus on the victory.

"We don't know what will happen because it's racing and you always need to be attentive and there are many things that can happen. I still think he can win the Tour."