Valentino Rossi denies he has decided to leave Ducati

The Italian has become the central figure in the 2012 silly season, with offers from both the works Ducati and Yamaha squads.

Despite his admission at Laguna Seca that he was struggling for motivation with the Desmosedici, he said that he is still yet to make a decision - insisting that competitive machinery, rather than money, will be the key factor in his decision.

Asked whether his spell at Ducati depended upon an improved contract, Rossi was quoted as saying: "Actually Ducati has made me a lower offer compared to the past. But this is not the important thing: with Ducati I'd get more money than with Yamaha anyway, so if money was important I would have already made my choice.

"[What counts is] to get back to winning ways. There are two ways to get there: to pick an already competitive bike, or to take a fascinating long-term gamble in trying to sort out this bike with Audi's help.

"It's a stab in the dark, however: the problems are the same as always and we haven't managed to solve them in all this time. It's frustrating.

"On the other hand there is the beauty of trying to win with three different manufacturers, something never achieved by anyone."

Rossi admitted that he has proved unable to make a significant difference on board the Ducati, but said he still felt deserving of a competitive machine.

"The situation has changed, you can't make a big difference in bikes anymore. And, specifically, I haven't managed to," he confessed.

In response to Jorge Lorenzo's comments that he deserved a competitive bike, Rossi added: "Jorge is among the few who have always shown respect towards me and I thank him for that. He is right: I, too, think I deserve a competitive bike."