"Remco has a contract with Soudal for next year" - BORA dismisses 'done deal' with Evenepoel

The back-and-forth continues. One of the topics that has weighted the heaviest on Remco Evenepoel during the Tour de France is his potential move to Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, with different sources claiming different aspects to what could be the transfer of the winter. This morning Gazzetta dello Sport reported that it's virtually confirmed. At the Tour, BORA manager Ralph Denk has already dismissed this.

For several months this possible signing has already been debated and whilst no official details are revealed by the teams themselves, several members of the teams have throughout the past few months argued that slowly a deal is being organized.

This would have to most likely include a very large sum of money as Evenepoel has a contract standing until 2026, and it would need the consent of Soudal - Quick-Step. A difficult task in any way taking into consideration Evenepoel is a double Olympic champion, the team's leader, and the man whom the team has used to change their setup into a climber-focused team over the past few years.

Italian news outlet Gazzetta dello Sport reported this morning that an agreement was found on Monday. This is backed up by reports of prestigious channels such as journalist Daniel Benson and The Cycling Podcast. It is hard to combat them, and naturally, questions were asked to BORA manager Ralph Denk this morning in Albertville.

His answer remains virtually the same as said before, even with the different context on the table. “Remco has a contract with Soudal for next year. He’s an interesting rider. But if he becomes free, everyone in the peloton will talk to him and try to convince him of their project. You never know. But it’s not a current issue, because he still has a contract," Ralph Denk shared with Marca.

Officially speaking, the Belgian continues to have a valid contract until 2026 which will be respected, but more and more that looks unlikely to be followed through. “18 teams will call Remco and ask, and I'd be stupid not to call. If you look at the top teams here, they’re not built around just one superstar, but several.”