CYCLING MARKET - UAE, Visma, INEOS and Lidl work to sign new leaders; Update on Vingegaard, Seixas and Ciccone

The peloton's focus is currently on the Tour Auvergne-Rhône Alpes but away from racing, agents and teams alike are working hard to secure the future of their riders. There is a massive amount of activity in thee cycling market currently and we provide the first of many updates regarding the latest signings, extensions and rumours. These include Paul Seixas, Jonas Vingegaard and Felix Gall; whilst teams such as INEOS, UAE and Visma are actively trying to sign new figures.

The transfer window only opens in August, however that does not mean that the market is dormant. Even officially, this past week one of the world's best cyclocross riders Amandine Fouquenet signed a pro contract with AG Insurance - Soudal Team. But behind the scenes, many deals are being confirmed and many more are in the workings.

First and foremost however, many are looking to just secure the men they have on board, and for the teams that do not stand at the top of the sport, this is at times a difficult mission. The difference of budget between the top World Tour teams and the rest has been growing further and further, creating a dynamic in which a few teams dominate a larger percentage of the sport, whilst others struggle more for opportunities and quality signings.

The Giro d'Italia marks a clear barrier between periods of the season, where all the focus turns onto the Tour de France. Many riders impressed at the Giro and had their teams immediately react in order to sign new contracts. We can find this in Uno-X duo of Fredrik Dversnes (winner of stage 15 in Milano) and Andreas Leknessund; Movistar with Einer Rubio and Groupama - FDJ with Johan Jacobs.

The French team also renewed with Romain Grégoire, its homegrown talent which has been leading the team in the classics throughout the past seasons, guaranteeing it a spot in the World Tour's mid-card - something a few teams are not able to achieve anymore.

Notably, the big hitters have also been working hard to secure important men in their classics and Grand Tour blocks. Two riders that are almost alike in their roles, Nils Politt of UAE and Edoardo Affini of Visma, are staying in their respective teams. The Italian's renewal is not yet confirmed but should be made public before the Tour de France where he will be present. Both riders are key for the support of Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and Wout Van Aert alike.

At this time of year, the market is red hot. Rumours come from multiple sources, but most important to note are Daniel Benson, Gazzetta dello Sport's Ciro Scognamiglio, Het Laatse Nieuws, Het Nieuwsblad and Wielerflits. Throughout the months a lot has come out and it is possible to assemble the pieces on where the biggest figures that are available for next year should go to.

As the first update of the year, it is important to return first to the spring. There, Paul Seixas was (and we can argue still is) the most valuable asset on the market. Even though his current contract only expires in 2027, the 19-year old is potentially cycling's biggest 'promise' since Remco Evenepoel last decade. But never has a rider of his age achieved so much, and the Frenchman has already put himself up against Tadej Pogacar this spring.

Months ago, it was heavily hinted that a move to UAE Team Emirates - XRG was possible in the future, with Paul's brother Nino already having trained with the team, and with an immense financial offer potentially setting the benchmark for Seixas' future. But Decathlon CMA CGM Team is not going down without a fight, and might not go down at all to begin with.

There has been discussion of a possible move towards a Swiss license, so as to provide better tax conditions that would allow the French team to propose a better financial offer to Seixas, the way UAE Team Emirates - XRG can. Even president Emanuel Macron has been in touch with the team, and so it is very realistic to believe that big changes or investments can come so as to keep Seixas on board. After the spring period, the talks have simmered down, but it is inevitable that the topic will return to the spotlight soon with Seixas making his Tour de France debut.

After last winter's big financial improvement, Decathlon finds itself in its strongest position in a long time, and the signing of Pavel Sivakov directly from UAE and Tadej Pogacar's block is a sign that the battle is not one-sided. The Frenchman is said to have already reached a deal, with a reported salary of €1.5 million a season.

On the other side of the spectrum is Team Visma | Lease a Bike, who have Jonas Vingegaard under contract until 2028. The Dane has been said to be a high-priority target for Netcompany INEOS, now sponsored by a Danish IT company. Whilst these have existed for the past few months, they do not hold a strong base, as Vingegaard's departure from Visma is highly unlikely and a contract breaking is even more unlikely.

During the Giro, Vingegaard has also said publicly and clearly that "I see myself finishing my career in this team", hence perhaps putting a definitive ending to one of the rumours that has marked 2026 the most.

But whilst Vingegaard appears safe, a signing that also looked safe might not be after the Corsa Rosa. That would be Jai Hindley, whom the Dutch team looked to have almost reached a deal before the three-week race. What happened was that Hindley put on a stellar performance throughout the three weeks and, after a very modest spring with no stand-out results, has suddenly shown a level that is worthy of a much higher-value contract. It has been reported that it is not possible that the deal won't be finalized because of this.

Then there is UAE Team Emirates - XRG. With a squad so stacked with leaders and young talent, and a Tadej Pogacar on top of the charts, its not easy to convince new riders to join the team at this point in time. Whilst a good salary can be ensured, space to lead is scarce. But that does not mean it doesn't exist, and there is leverage for the Emirati team in the market.

It does not risk losing any of its leaders (reason why it doesn't aim to sign many as well) and has space for only a few transfers, most likely. One such is Marco Frigo of NSN Cycling Team, winner of a stage at the Tour of the Alps, and quite likely the most secure transfer for the team.

This week however it has been reported by several sources in Italy that Giulio Ciccone could also be on his way to the team. This was brought up to general manager Mauro Gianetti these past days and there was no denial of it. With a stage-hunter profile, and great quality both in the mountains and hills, he could perfectly fit the position in the team where his responsibilities would be divided between key domestique work and occasional opportunities to lead and chase his own individual ambitions.

However, none of the teams above are the ones that look set to invest the most this winter. In fact the change is already ongoing, as at the start of June the team announced a massive management overhaul. Andy Schleck will be its new CEO, but the names the team is bringing in off the bike are as promising as those who will be on the TV screens.

Dan Lorang, previously of Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, will be the team's new head of performance; whilst the team has signed two key staff members of Team Visma | Lease a Bike: Grischa Niermann as its new chief sporting officer; and Martijn Redegeld as the new head of nutrition. Into 2026, this gathering of great minds can build the base for a team that has also been growing substantially since the visual and financial entry of the supermarket chain Lidl onto the project.

It is true that the team has already conducted massive moves this past winter, with Juan Ayuso reportedly signing after a contract buy-out whose value in millions might have reached double digits. But the team is not stopping there.

Straight from the Giro d'Italia, the team was hunting for new leaders and top domestiques. And they might get one in Felix Gall, second place and a German-speaker (ultimately an important factor for the German team). He and his right-hand man Gregor Muhlberger might join Lidl-Trek next season whilst stage 5 winner Igor Arrieta has also been heavily hinted.

Furthermore the team looks to be on the verge of striking a deal with Jordi Meeus, who could become Jonathan Milan's new leadout man. The Belgian is a former winner on the Champs-Élysées and could support the team in its sprinting and classics ambitions, as well as having some of his own occasionally.

In the team's women there is also a large investment seemingly and La Vuelta winner Paula Blasi looks poised to join the team, even after her agent Alex Carera (also Tadej Pogacar's agent) said that she could be the first female rider on a millionaire salary.

Jhonatan Narváez has had a fantastic Giro d'Italia and the support he had from his team may prove decisive in his decision for the future. Whilst the Ecuadorian looked likely to return to Netcompany INEOS, he is now said to likely be signing a new deal with the Emirati team.

We've got two ProTeams who are ready to invest millions into their future. One is Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team who are said to be paying a €2 million salary to bring in their nation's national champion Mauro Schmid, a move clearly pointed towards improving their UCI point scoring as they look to climb to the World Tour in the coming years. Furthermore they look to be the front-runners in the signing of Tom Crabbe and Tommaso Dati, two young sprinters from small teams who have impressed immensely over the first half of the season.

On the other side of the Swiss spectrum is Tudor Pro Cycling Team who have reportedly already reached a deal with two sprinters - both of which can race well in the classics as well. One is Alpecin's Kaden Groves, Tour de France stage winner last summer.

The second is Arnaud de Lie, Lotto-Intermarché's leader who is returning to the second division of cycling, despite a reported favourable offer from Soudal - Quick-Step.

Lotto is in fact one of the teams that look like will lose the most this winter. Besides De Lie, Lennert van Eetvelt is also likely to depart the team in direction of NSN Cycling Team. Their bids for Alex Baudin and Emilien Jeannière have reportedly not been successful. However, Juan Sebastián Molano of UAE could be heading to the Belgian team, in a bid to save what could be a dark winter.

Netcompany INEOS look set to sign EF Education - EasyPost's Markel Beloki, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe appear to be on the heels of Movistar; whilst the Spanish team themselves look to be the most likely destination for Bahrain - Victorious' Santiago Buitrago.