Amidst fierce negotiation battle for Paul Seixas, Decathlon declares to be "ready to counter any offer"
Cycling
At 19 years of age, Paul Seixas continues to amaze with a 4th place in today's challenging Tour de France stage. Just a quick look at his rapidly-growing palmares confirms that he's rightfully a very hot property on the transfer market. And teams are willing to offer astronomical resources to ensure the Frenchman writes the next chapter in his career wearing their colours.
Several teams have already expressed genuine interest, launching the offers to the moon. Most recent rumours have suggested that Tom Pidcock's team Pinarello Q36.5 presented Seixas' agent with an outstanding €13 millions per year offer, a rumour which has since been debunked by rider super agent Alex Carera as hoax.
For context (private sponsors aside) Tadej Pogacar as the best paid cyclist in the world is said to be earning roughly €8 millions per year on his current contract through 2030 at UAE Team Emirates - XRG, the world's richest team.
And, unlike an unproven talent that is Seixas, Pogacar's name is backed by five Grand Tour titles, 13 Monuments and two rainbow jerseys.
Whether Pinarello Q36.5 can afford to spend such sum is another question.
Decathlon ready to counter
However, it is a clear warning to the team management of Decathlon CMA CGM that other teams will jump at any moment of hesitation. That is why they need to act fast before others do, even though Seixas still has a running contract through 2027.
And the works on a new, more lucrative deal for Seixas are in the works, it seems. The management of the French team confirmed in an interview with Le Parisien that the Grand Tour rider is "a strategic priority" for the team.
According to the French newspaper, Decathlon CMA CGM is reportedly willing to run through a large part of their budget. Apparently, an attractive renewal offer is to land on Seixas agent's table very soon. Details are not yet known, but it is said to be a bid at least as strong as of rival teams.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 7visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
- I'm picking .... .... Never mind 🫥flyer07-11-2026
- If Tiberi has a better and more consistent 2027 I somehow doubt it will be because of this victorious warning. Unless his preparation has been off, cycling isn't football.flyer07-11-2026
- Love this guy. He is such a pure racer.mij07-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment