Jonathan Rea did offer himself to the factory Ducati World Superbike team, but no official talks took place.

There were rumours earlier in the 2025 World Superbike season that Jonathan Rea was in talks with the factory Aruba.it Racing - Ducati squad for the 2026 season.

However, the Team Manager at Aruba.it Racing - Ducati, Serafino Foti, has since denied that any talks between Rea and the Italian manufacturer took place.

The Italian made it clear earlier in the season that they would be looking for a younger rider to partner Nicolo Bulega in 2026, after making the decision not to re-sign the ageing Alvaro Bautista.

After losing his ride in the Pata Maxus Yamaha WorldSBK Team, Rea offered himself to the factory Ducati squad, but no further talks took place, according to Foti.

"Johnny told Ducati he was available. I think it's useless to deny," Foti told GPOne.com after the Aragon Test.

"We never had any talks with Rea, because our strategy was clear, which was to go for someone young. Ducati and Aruba have always had clear ideas and, unfortunately, Johnny did not fit into the plans."

After evaluating what they needed for the 2026 World Superbike season, Ducati looked towards a younger rider for their factory squad.

The Italian manufacturer ended up having official talks with Moto2 rider Aron Canet and Team HRC World Superbike rider Iker Lecuona.

After Canet decided to remain in Moto2 for the 2026 season, the factory Ducati team announced that they had signed Lecuona to a one-year deal for next season.