Looks like all the speculation is right and it's only a matter of time before the announcement is made.
Valentino Rossi is set to make a return to Yamaha, abandoning Ducati after two long and difficult years of failure. The Italian was spotted at Yamaha Motor Europe's headquarters at Schiphol-Rijk, an industrial estate next to Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, by former racer Niall Mackenzie, who was visiting the Yamaha HQ while negotiating a deal for his younger son Tarran to race in Superstock next season. The Scotsman posted the sighting - naming only a 'well-known Italian' wearing 'a big smile on his face' - on his Twitter page, but when contacted by Thomas Baujard of the French magazine Moto Journal, confirmed his report to the magazine.
http://motomatters.com/news/2012/08/03/valentino_rossi_spotted_at_yamaha_s_euro.html
Valentino Rossi is set to make a return to Yamaha, abandoning Ducati after two long and difficult years of failure. The Italian was spotted at Yamaha Motor Europe's headquarters at Schiphol-Rijk, an industrial estate next to Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, by former racer Niall Mackenzie, who was visiting the Yamaha HQ while negotiating a deal for his younger son Tarran to race in Superstock next season. The Scotsman posted the sighting - naming only a 'well-known Italian' wearing 'a big smile on his face' - on his Twitter page, but when contacted by Thomas Baujard of the French magazine Moto Journal, confirmed his report to the magazine.
http://motomatters.com/news/2012/08/03/valentino_rossi_spotted_at_yamaha_s_euro.html