More competition for Juan Ayuso at Lidl–Trek? Team shakes up the transfer market with big potential arrivals

Lidl–Trek are shaking up the market with cheque‑book ambition. The American squad are already looking ahead to next season, shoring up both their men’s and women’s teams. Each boasts deep, competitive rosters, but the latest moves signal a step up in the sporting project’s quality.

A radical shift is coming to the team of Spaniard Juan Ayuso, which has announced a deep internal reconfiguration that will mark the start of a new era after the next Tour de France. Senior management have already confirmed this is a long‑planned overhaul within the organisation, charting a new course toward sporting and structural growth.

At 23, the Barcelona rider faces his first Tour de France as a team leader, though not the only one: he will share the reins with Dane Mattias Skjelmose at the Grande Boucle. And, as if that were not enough, 2027 looks even more crowded for Ayuso at Lidl–Trek.

Racing under a German UCI licence from this season, the team is preparing a transformation to reach the level of its biggest rivals: Visma, UAE, or Red Bull. They are acutely aware of what it takes to contend across one‑day classics, stage races, and Grand Tours.

One of the major bombshells is the exit of Luca Guercilena, who will leave his post after sixteen years at the helm, sealing a legacy as a key architect of the team’s evolution. The Italian manager was instrumental in the structure’s growth from its early Leopard Trek days and through every iteration, into one of the most respected outfits in the WorldTour peloton.

The transition will not stop there. From August 1st, the team will roll out a new leadership structure designed to bolster competitive ambitions. Andy Schleck will be appointed chief executive, a historic figure tied to the team’s origins and winner of the Tour de France in 2010. His return underpins continuity in a project seeking to balance experience and ambition.

In parallel, the sporting department will fall under Grischa Niermann, arriving from Visma, where he played a central role in multiple Grand Tour victories. The former German pro will be Lidl’s all‑round sporting lead, overseeing performance, racing, and team strategy.

High‑calibre specialists also join: Dan Lorang in performance, Martijn Redegeld in nutrition, and York Peter Klöppel in mindset, reinforcing a holistic approach built on science, data, and athlete optimisation. This strategic reshuffle cements Lidl–Trek’s long‑term vision to set the pace in pro cycling, with particular focus on the Grand Tours.

The goal is clear: build a structure capable of sustaining the highest competitive level all season and targeting wins in every arena of the international calendar, backing a project entering a new era of ambition and professionalism.

Within this framework, the organisation also seeks internal stability, though further tweaks to the roster and backroom staff are expected in the coming months as part of the team’s natural evolution. All of it underlines an ambitious, modern, and deeply competitive WorldTour project.

New signings and staff changes reflect an aggressive strategy aligned with the so‑called “Project Yellow,” unveiled this year, with the bold objective of winning the Tour de France. On the market, rumours point to significant figures, around €1.5–1.7 million for Red Bull sprinter Jordi Meeus, and a notable salary bump for Felix Gall after his standout Giro d’Italia with Decathlon.

In recent days, reports also surfaced of serious interest in the Belgian sprinter. After a difficult season, the team looks determined to raise its level for next year. Bringing in top‑tier riders like Meeus and Gall would be a major step in that direction.

All this supports the notion that Lidl–Trek aim to become a WorldTour powerhouse, with the Grande Boucle as the top priority for both men and women. However, growth may trigger internal consequences, with possible rider exits and ongoing churn in the technical staff over the coming months.

The project seeks to consolidate a structure capable of competing at the highest level throughout the season and sustaining results in Grand Tours, an ambition that redefines its role in the international peloton. Backed by investment, planning, and long‑term vision across both teams.

Ciro Scognamiglio, the well-known transfer-market reporter at La Gazzetta dello Sport, goes further, claiming that Lidl–Trek are interested in signing the 28-year-old Austrian as a general classification leader. The team added two GC riders last winter in Juan Ayuso and Derek Gee, yet it would still like to bring Gall into that group.

However, with Giulio Ciccone and Mattias Skjelmose already in the set-up, the fight for multiple objectives would be intense. The Italian and the Dane will surely remain key figures, but their ambitions may increasingly be constrained by the squad’s growing internal competition.

On Monday night, Belgian daily HLN added a fresh twist to the transfer story. According to its report, Felix Gall has already decided to join Lidl–Trek. His compatriot Gregor Mühlberger at Decathlon, who also delivered a strong Giro, is likewise expected to head to the German–American outfit.

That strengthens the question we raised earlier: what then for Mattias Skjelmose and Giulio Ciccone? Both riders are tied to long contracts on significant salaries, although there could be room for an exit. Lidl–Trek has recently shifted from a majority U.S. ownership to a German-led structure, with the next step in that transition involving a change of headquarters and sponsorship contracts.

That could ease the termination or release process for Ciccone, Skjelmose, and other unsettled riders, although any final decision would still require UCI approval.