Is Astana now ready to sign Maxim van Gils? Kazakh team sends 2 riders to development team, clearing room for new transfers

Astana Qazaqstan Team have recently completed their lineup for 2025, but there is a new plot twist in this story. The Kazakh team, which will have a new Chinese title sponsor bringing in big money into the upcoming season, has been heavily linked with Maxim van Gils and it has now sent two riders to it's development team in order to be able to sign more riders towards the elite team: Santiago Umba and Daniil Marukhin.

“Santiago is still a very young rider, and the 2024 season was challenging for him. At 21, he took part in several WorldTour races and gained invaluable experience, including completing La Vuelta. However, the transition may have been too quick for him, and he needs to take a step back to ensure steady growth in the future," team manager Alexandr Vinokourov said in a press release. "The upcoming season with our Continental team will provide this opportunity.

"For Daniil, 2024 was also tough, primarily due to a lack of experience at this high level. Despite this, he showed himself to be a reliable domestique in several races. After discussions with him and our coaching staff, we’ve decided that a season with the Continental team in 2025 will help him avoid unnecessary stress, build confidence, and showcase his true potential. In any case, both Santiago and Daniil will actively participate in the races with our main team, gradually finding their rhythm and gaining experience without undue pressure”.

This is definitely a very unusual course of action for the World Tour team, sending two riders that have raced for the elite team this year towards their secondary structure. This can only be justified by the team's desire to include new riders in it's elite team.

This could be a preliminary sign that the team may have reached a deal with Maxim van Gils. It is known that the Belgian will head to either Astana, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe or potentially INEOS Grenadiers if Tom Pidcock moves out. The Kazakh team has an undefined budget for the coming season and has signed several classics riders to hunt for UCI points, and this transfer would be an absolute priority specially this late in the year.