The Italian rider, who won four of the opening five Moto2 races of the season, had been linked to a graduation to the top class for some months, with Pramac Ducati and an expanded LCR Honda team believed to be among his options.

However, Marc VDS team boss Michael Bartholemy told Movistar on Saturday that Morbidelli will remain with the Belgian outfit next season as he steps up to the premier class.

It means one of Marc VDS’s existing riders, Jack Miller and Tito Rabat, will be forced to move on from the squad in 2018.

Miller, who is in the final year of a three-year agreement with Honda, has made it clear his preference is to stay with the team, but is also believed to have held discussions with Pramac Ducati.

Rabat, meanwhile, has come under increasing pressure to retain his seat, although he has been strongly linked with a potential future with the Avintia Ducati team, which is understood to be unlikely to retain either Hector Barbera or Loris Baz.

Morbidelli’s current teammate Alex Marquez will stay in Moto2 for another season, and will be joined by Moto3 graduate Joan Mir.

2018 MotoGP rider line-up so far: