David Giugliano has thanked the Aruba.it Racing Ducati squad for giving him valuable experience as a young rider and says he'd be tempted to return in the future despite being replaced in the team by Marco Melandri for 2017.

Ducati confirmed its World Superbike rider line-up for next season with Chaz Davies, who has secured a new two-year deal, being joined by Melandri as Giugliano is pushed out after three years with the team.

Despite notching up 10 podiums and four pole positions with the factory Ducati squad the Italian has failed to win a single World Superbike race - but did miss eight of the 13 rounds in 2015 with two serious injuries.

Giugliano is determined to finish his time with Ducati on a high over the final four rounds of the current campaign and won't be put off to return in the future if their paths cross again.

"I had a great time with Ducati," Giugliano said. "I learned a lot and was given a wealth of experience to draw upon, which is really important for a young rider. We also faced some difficult times, especially last year when I was badly injured, but we've always stayed close.

"We decided to take different paths, but our relationship remains strong: I'm still young, so we may rejoin forces in the future. I sincerely wish Melandri the best and would like to thank everyone in Ducati, especially Paolo Ciabatti, and Aruba.it for all their support. I

"It's been a great journey, which has yielded great results despite the fact that we would have liked to do more, but I'll give my best until the end of the season to achieve bigger goals."

It is rumoured Giugliano is interested in making a move to Moto2 for 2017 to prove his talents at Grand Prix level, while a number of privateer World Superbike squads are interested in the 26-year-old.