“It was close to being done” – Remco Evenepoel reveals delays and uncertainty scuppered INEOS Grenadiers transfer in 2023

Remco Evenepoel has revealed just how close he came to leaving Soudal - Quick-Step for INEOS Grenadiers in 2023, lifting the lid on a stalled transfer that never quite crossed the line despite advanced talks and serious intent on all sides.

Speaking to The Observer during his winter training camp in Mallorca, the Belgian confirmed that a move to the British WorldTour team was “pretty close”, only to collapse due to timing issues and resistance from his then team. The comments offer rare clarity on one of the most persistent transfer sagas of recent seasons.

The approach from INEOS Grenadiers gathered pace during the autumn of 2023, a period when Remco Evenepoel was at the peak of his market value after securing the world time-trial title in Stirling.

“It was pretty close,” Evenepoel said. “With all the changes going on in that team, there were some delays and I couldn’t really wait any more.”

While the rider stopped short of criticising INEOS directly, the implication was clear. At a point in his career where momentum mattered more than promises, uncertainty became a deal-breaker.

The situation was further complicated by his contractual position at Soudal - Quick-Step, who were unwilling to sanction an early exit. The reported seven-million-euro buyout clause proved another obstacle that ultimately could not be resolved.

“It was close to being done,” Evenepoel added, before describing the situation as becoming “almost impossible” because his old team did not want to let him go.

The INEOS episode fits into a broader theme that runs through Evenepoel’s career. Before cycling took over his life, he had already experienced a similarly narrow escape in football.

As a teenager, Evenepoel was considered one of Belgium’s brightest prospects, progressing through Anderlecht and PSV Eindhoven and representing his country at youth level. At just 13, he was even scouted by Arsenal, with the potential for a future in elite football very real.

“I played football until I was 17, so I got quite close to being a professional,” he said. “I could have stayed with it, but I’m very happy with the choice I made.”

In a twist of irony, Anderlecht eventually released him due to concerns over his lack of speed. Within a few years, he would be rewriting the limits of performance in professional cycling.

What makes the failed INEOS move significant is not simply that it did not happen, but why. Evenepoel made it clear that his frustration was rooted in stalled progress rather than ambition alone.

“I stayed because I was promised things, a lot of changes and I believed it,” he explained of his final period at Quick-Step. “Then at some point, I felt ‘OK, this is never going to happen. It’s a no-brainer’. I needed change.”

That need for clarity and certainty eventually led him elsewhere, closing the door on INEOS but opening a new chapter with Red Bull BORA-Hansgrohe. Yet the insight into how close the deal came adds important context to his career trajectory.

Evenepoel’s path has rarely been linear. From Arsenal interest that never materialised to a Grand Tour transfer blocked at the final hurdle, the defining moments of his career have often hinged on decisions made just out of reach.

As he now looks ahead to the next phase of his career, those near-misses feel less like regrets and more like the experiences that shaped his urgency to move forward when the moment finally arrived.