UAE Team Emirates - XRG to lose Spanish star? Lidl-Trek join race to sign Giro d'Italia stage winner
Cycling
The future of Igor Arrieta has become one of the most compelling storylines in the transfer market looking ahead to 2027. Although just days ago everything seemed to point towards a renewal with UAE Team Emirates XRG, the arrival of Lidl-Trek in the bidding has completely changed the landscape and now seriously threatens the Spanish rider’s continuity within the Emirati setup.
The 23-year-old is delivering the best season of his career, and his explosive Giro d’Italia has sent his stock soaring across the WorldTour. His stage win at the Corsa Rosa not only opened his account in the top tier, it also definitively confirmed the steep progression he has shown since turning professional.
According to AS, Arrieta already has a renewal offer from UAE Team Emirates, the team he has represented for three seasons. However, he has opted to hear other proposals before making a final decision on his future. That is where Lidl-Trek has moved decisively.
The American squad is reportedly working to bring the Spaniard on board from 2027, in a move with significant sporting and personal dimensions. There he could reunite with Juan Ayuso, with whom he maintains a good relationship from their shared spell at UAE Team Emirates - XRG.
The potential switch also makes sense tactically. Arrieta could once again take on support duties for Ayuso at the Grand Tours, a role he knows well, while still retaining the freedom to chase his own results in selected races and stages.
A promising palmarès at just 23
It is precisely that blend of team value and individual capacity that has made the Navarrese one of the most attractive riders on the market. In recent seasons, Arrieta has shown he is much more than a domestique. His development has been steady across stage races, classics, and mountain days.
Among his standout results are a stage win at the Giro d’Italia this month, plus victory at the 2025 Clásica de Ordizia. He also finished third overall at the AlUla Tour 2026 and at the 2025 Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali, underlining his consistency in one-week races.
Add to that a stage second place at Itzulia earlier this season, another runner-up on a stage at the 2024 Cro Race, and yet another stage second at Coppi e Bartali 2025. In the Basque Country, he also took eighth overall at this year’s Itzulia, while at the AlUla Tour he added a stage third. His first significant results as a pro came at the 2022 Vuelta a Asturias, where he was third on a stage and sixth overall.
Igor Arrieta celebrates his victory on stage 5 of the 2026 Giro d’Italia.
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All that growth has strengthened the sense that Arrieta still has room to keep improving in the WorldTour. At UAE, they view the Spaniard as an important rider for the future and want to keep him within a dominant structure in international cycling. However, competition for his signature has intensified notably after his strong Giro.
Lidl-Trek, for their part, continue to act with ambition in the market and see in Arrieta a highly valuable profile to both reinforce their climbing unit and deepen their Spanish presence within the team. The chance to share leadership and calendar with Ayuso could also prove decisive in negotiations.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- wtf dudemij07-11-2026
- big rival … ridiculous.Ketterechts07-11-2026
- It would be great if the World Champion's jersey could be rotated among McNulty, Simmons, and Jorgenson. They threaded the needle perfectly. If each hadn't done exactly what he did, exactly when he did it, the race would have gone to one of the more heralded superstars. That said, how nice that this humble and hardworking guy gets his moment in the sun.
MarkFour07-11-2026 - This is a really interesting idea, which, if well prepared could even be very successful. Very little money needs to be involved for a first season and any success could lead to rapid interest from sponsors.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Hmmm, you seem to have a very convenient black and white view of things. Perhaps you haven’t been around much to discover how complex problems can become over time with people who know how to control, manipulate (or worse) others so gradually or subtly that you arrive at an irresolvable situation before you realise. This is how many inconveniences get introduced to the young, naïve, passionate or “desperate”, knowing they are not armed, protected or strong enough to defend themselves once it’s too late. Why do you think omerta culture is so widespread, why do you think so many people continue to go through so many awful things in life that others can’t understand anyone getting into? Life may be far more jolly for you but you would do well to understand (or reflect more on) the real world to refrain from being so quick to criticise those in a hard spot that may have genuine reason for speaking out.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Seriously do you think when somebody gets into a serious accident, the ambulance is called by the hurt person?🤦 there is always a buddy system in place for a risky job. police , firefighters etc so that if someone gets hurt, the other call that in.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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