The 2007 F1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen, who has announced that he will take a sabbatical from the sport next year after losing his Ferrari seat to Fernando Alonso, is said to be close to signing a deal with the Citroen World Rally team for 2010.
According to the WRC's official website, Raikkonen "is understood to be ready to sign a deal" with the Citroen team, in a deal that would see the Finn take part in all 13 rounds of the 2010 world rally championship.
The deal is thought to be largely funded by Citroen's main WRC sponsor Red Bull.
The report on WRC.com said that there were still "small details" to be sorted out, but that an announcement of the move could be made within days.
Raikkonen left the Ferrari team at the end of 2009 to make way for the two-time world champion Alonso. Though the Finn was actively pursuing a race seat with former team McLaren for next year, that deal eventually fell through over some silly money demands and Jenson Button took the drive instead.
Though the Finn was briefly linked with a move to Mercedes, Raikkonen himself dismissed that speculation and confirmed that he would take a sabbatical from the sport in 2010.
When asked about his chances of being competitive in the WRC, the 2003 champion Petter Solberg was optimistic that he could be on the pace without too much time.
"With the proper practice, planning, and testing I think he will adapt quickly," Solberg grinned, "He's a very, very good driver, and once he's learned the basics, like how to work with pace notes, I think he will surprise many people.
"If he's in a decent World Rally Car next season I think he could finish between third and fifth on some rallies. The fact is, if you can drive, you can drive."
He added, somewhat unnecessarily, that: "You have to be on the case and you need some balls."
The Citroen team has taken the last six drivers titles in a row with Sebastien Loeb, who himself was considered for a one-off seat swap with the Toro Rosso F1 team at the end of last season.
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