Mikel Landa keen on becoming Remco Evenepoel's new right-hand man: "I like the way he races and his character. Why not?"

The pieces of the puzzle seem to be close to fitting. Soudal - Quick-Step is in need of climbers for their team, Mikel Landa is in search of a new team, and Patrick Lefevere has confirmed there are talks. Now, the Basque himself says that he would not mind a supporting role in the mountains.

"I'm focusing on the Tour first. That's something for my manager. But it's nice to feel the interest of such a team," Mikel Landa told Sporza this morning. He has been in contact with Soudal - Quick-Step as the team looks to build it's mountain block and support World Champion Remco Evenepoel. "I can. I can help him. I like the way he races and his character. Why not?"

Landa is currently a leader at Bahrain - Victorious however despite his climbing quality he has famously spent several years as a high-end domestique both in Astana and Team Sky in the mid/late 2010's, working for the likes of Fabio Aru and Chris Froome at their very prime whilst also being able to chase results of his own. His move to Bahrain in 2020 saw him finish fourth at the 2020 Tour de France and third at last year's Giro d'Italia, alongside terrific form in the last two seasons which have seen him take many very strong results.

At 33 years of age and with a new generation of even more talented climbers however, he could find himself in that role once again. A move that seems to fit on all sides, the Basque rider may be ready to move on to a new but familiar challenge in 2024, something which would also significantly improve the Belgian team's chances of keeping Evenepoel in the long-term and dispute the Tour de France next year.