World champions Sebastien Loeb and Marcus Gronholm are planning to join forces in an all-new, privately-run Citroen superteam next year. Current double title winner Loeb and former two-times champion Gronholm have previously been linked to such a move for 2006, but service park sources indicate a deal is now all-but done.

The new team will be run by French racing and rally outfit Oreca, which has a solid reputation in rallying, having won the 2003 J-WRC title with Brice Tirabissi in the then-dominant Renault Clio Super 1600. Its step up to the WRC will be backed by Japanese electronic giant Sony, through its Playstation brand. Loeb already has links with Playstation as a private sponsor, while Playstation has the exclusive license for the official computer game of the WRC.

Citroen - which, along with French sister company Peugeot, is leaving the WRC at the end of the year - has long said that it wants to remain in the WRC as a privateer force as it contemplates a possible return as a works team in 2007 with a new car based on the C4 hatchback. To that aim, it has been testing a Xsara WRC to the new regulations for 2007 - which ban passive differentials and water-injected engines - with test driver Philippe Bugalski.

This is the car that will be available to privateer teams such as Oreca, with current privateer Citroen team Kronos Racing likely to continue with two cars, backed by long-time sponsor OMV, for Manfred Stohl. Super 1600 team PH Sport has also been linked to a step up to the sport's top level with a pair of Citroen Xsaras, as has Spanish outfit Piedrafita.

Both Loeb and Gronholm have been at the centre of the driver merry-go-round for next year. The pair have been linked to a move to Ford, but team boss Malcolm Wilson has now admitted that he will be unable to sign either driver. Gronholm was previously linked to Mitsubishi, but the Japanese team is understood to be targeting a repeat of this year's line-up with Harri Rovanpera, Gigi Galli and Gilles Panizzi.

Loeb has always admitted that he would be keen to retain long-term links with long-term backer Citroen, even if it meant driving for a privateer team in 2006, while Gronholm has frequently admitted in recent weeks that a deal to sign-up alongside Loeb in a privateer Citroen with a long-term works option for 2007 would be appealing.