2027 transfer market already hot - Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe reported to be in hot pursuit of Arnaud de Lie

The 2026 season has only gotten under way two months ago but many teams already have their eyes on the upcoming transfer market. The negotiation game is no longer played within just a few months, specially when it comes to the big stars of the peloton. Arnaud de Lie is going to be one of the biggest names that could potentially be making a move, and Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe has inserted himself in the list of possible destinations.

This is reported by Het Laatste Nieuws, who regularly access the market situation with a lot of accuracy. After the merger of Lotto and Intermarché - Wanty, there was a big separation between the two teams in which the Intermarché riders' contracts were made invalid, which allowed for the departure of many towards other teams. Its leader Biniam Girmay was a target for the team, but ultimately the Eritrean left for NSN Cycling Team. However, the team maintained its license over the owners of the Lotto team, and so all of the contracts of its 2025 roster remained valid.

Hence, De Lie's stay in the team was never put into question, and he remains the team's absolute leader in 2026. Lennert van Eetvelt and Jarno Widar, both also Belgian youngsters who developed in the team's ranks, are also highly protected figures, but out of the three, only Widar has a contract beyond 2026 at the time being. Hence, the team has to pull out the big cards throughout the upcoming months to maintain its current set of leaders, a difficult task for a team whose finantial situation is not near the top of the sport - something which can be interpreted from its current lineup, as well as its modest signings into 2026.

De Lie is reported to be under the heavy interest of Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, which should come as a major issue for the Belgian team. The German outfit has gotten a significant budget improvement since the entry of Red Bull which has not only allowed for the breakthrough signings of riders such as Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel (both bought out of previous contracts) but also a wide array of other climbers, classics specialists and sprinters. Currently, it chases a 'super team' status, as is the case with Lidl-Trek and Decathlon CMA CGM Team.

De Lie's talents have not gone unnoticed and already in March there are discussions behind the scenes. This is not unexpected, as even Paul Seixas has been approached by UAE Team Emirates - XRG despite having a contract lasting until the end of 2027. With most of the sport's top riders signed under long-term contracts, there is a limit to the amount of riders that can be signed and be leaders within the current top teams.

De Lie, 23 years of age, could turn out to be a new cobbled classics leader at BORA, and a replacement for Jordi Meeus as one of the team's sprinters. He is a winner of races such as the GP de Québec, Bretagne Classic and the Renewi Tour; splitting his specialty between the cobbled classics and the bunch sprints. Whilst his career thus far has been marked heavily by injuries and illnesses, he already has 33 wins to his name, and these include big titles - including beating none other than Mathieu van der Poel in a thrilling battle at last year's Renewi Tour.