"Alpecin and UAE have a 35 percent chance and BORA has a 30 percent chance" - Jasper Philipsen's agent continues to keep options open in contract year

Despite previous reports that Jasper Philipsen is looking more and more likely to re-sign with Alpecin-Deceuninck, the star's agent, Alex Carera is insisting the Belgian keep his options open.

According to Carera, the race for Philipsen's signature is down to three. "We kindly thanked the rest of the teams for the offer. Financially, all proposals that are still available are equivalent, it's all about details," he explains in conversation with Het Nieuwsblad. "Let's say that Alpecin and UAE Team Emirates have a 35 percent chance and BORA - hansgrohe has a 30 percent chance. That's how you get to 100 percent."

Contrary to what you might think, it's not all down to money either, according to Carera. "Money is not the problem. The differences in the proposals do not exceed 5 percent. That won't be a stumbling block," the agent insists. "It is mainly about the role that Jasper will get in his new team, private sponsors, his image and some other aspects. We all have to analyze these things carefully, together with our team and our lawyers."

"Jasper can also ride the Tour with UAE and BORA-hansgrohe, but it is true that they can select more helpers for him at Alpecin-Deceuninck," Carera continues. "But at UAE, someone like Molano can assist him. At BORA they also have a number of guys to prepare a sprint."

"Jasper is someone who knows what he wants and makes decisions quickly. He consults with his family and his girlfriend Melanie, who is very important to him, and then he makes the decision. We're going to make a quick choice now," Carera concludes. "As soon as Jasper comes back from vacation, we will have something to eat and compare all the proposals again."