After UAE and INEOS, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe enters battle to sign Paul Seixas

The Itzulia Basque Country is currently being dominated by Paul Seixas and joining him on the podium are Florian Lipowitz and Primoz Roglic. However, the duo's team, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, is reportedly also interested in signing the French supertalent after UAE Team Emirates - XRG and INEOS Grenadiers previously showed the same intentions.

It is a negotiation battle that will dominate the upcoming months. Whilst it was initially said that talks on negotiations would only resume following the Ardennes classics, the topic has in no way slowed down. UAE Team Emirates - XRG is interested in signing the 19-year old who is often compared to Tadej Pogacar, whilst also potentially being his next rival on the road. Seixas' potential is a big question and one that currently marks the world of cycling, as his success at such age is seen as unprecedented. This afternoon, he is expected to win the Basque race, after winning three of the first five stages, and obliterating a high-level field.

Decathlon CMA CGM Team however had a major budget boost over the winter which provides them with a realistic chance of keeping the Frenchman once his contract ends in 2027. Due to being French, in a French team, there is certainly the possibility that there will be a bigger effort from the team's sponsors so as to try and keep the rider who has been widely suggested to be the first French Tour de France winner in over 40 years.

However if having to battle with the UAE-backed team, known for its vast financial resources, it now also has the new giant on the cycling market: Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe. According to Het Laatste Nieuws, the interest is real and the team is fully pushing to try and make another contract buyout that could change its outlook.

Whilst the German team does not have the same budget as UAE, Red Bull has invested massive amounts first to buy out the contract of Primoz Roglic from Visma, and last winter Remco Evenepoel from Soudal - Quick-Step. If Seixas' Grand Tour potential is confirmed later this summer, it could be the spark behind a multi-millionaire investment for 'cycling's next big thing'. Last winter, after finishing fourth at the Tour de France, Oscar Onley's contract at Team Picnic PostNL was bought out by INEOS Grenadiers for an amount totaling at several million euros.