“When he wins four Tours, maybe yes” - Tadej Pogacar’s agent dismisses record-breaking €13m Paul Seixas contract rumours

Tadej Pogacar’s agent Alex Carera has dismissed reports linking Paul Seixas with a possible record-breaking €13 million-per-year contract, warning that cycling’s latest teenage sensation should not yet be valued alongside the sport’s biggest names.

Seixas has become one of the most talked-about riders in the peloton after his rapid rise with Decathlon CMA CGM Team, with reports suggesting the Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team could be ready to make a huge move once his current deal expires at the end of 2027.

The figure attached to those reports has been the eye-catching part: €13 million per season, a salary that would reportedly put the 19-year-old above even Pogacar at the top of cycling’s pay scale.

Carera, who represents Pogacar as well as several other major names in the peloton, pushed back strongly in comments to Velo. “I know because I know from the boss of Pinarello that it’s absolutely not true,” Carera said. “It’s not the real value.”

Seixas’ market value has exploded during a breakout season that has moved him to the centre of French cycling’s future. He remains under contract with Decathlon until the end of 2027, but interest from outside teams has already turned his long-term future into one of the biggest transfer stories in the sport.

Carera did not deny Seixas’ talent. His point was that the Frenchman is still at the start of his career, while Pogacar has already built the palmares that explains his place at the very top of the market. “When he wins four Tours, maybe yes,” Carera said of Seixas.

The comparison is unavoidable because of the reported number. Pogacar’s salary is widely reported to sit in the €8 million to €10 million range, while the Seixas rumour has centred on a figure even higher than that before he has ridden his first Tour de France. “I think some people don’t understand that they push the new rivals of Tadej too much,” Carera told Velo.

Seixas is set to begin the Tour amid huge attention, with his age, nationality and results making him one of the most closely watched debutants in years. That spotlight has only grown because of the transfer rumours around him, with Decathlon facing the challenge of keeping the biggest French talent of his generation away from the richest teams in the peloton.

“The young guys need time,” Carera said. “It’s step by step. Sometimes it’s easier to arrive at the top than stay on the top.”

Carera also brought Isaac del Toro into the discussion. The Mexican, another of his clients, has strengthened his own case for a major July role with UAE Team Emirates - XRG, while Seixas’ final Tour preparation was disrupted by a recent crash. “[Seixas] is a super big talent, but in the Dauphine, the day before he crashed, he couldn’t drop Del Toro,” Carera said. “Honestly, I think Del Toro has more chance than Seixas in the Tour.”

Carera also denied reports that Paula Blasi has already agreed to join Movistar for 2027. The Spanish talent is expected to make her Tour de France Femmes debut this summer and has attracted interest from several major teams, including Movistar, Lidl-Trek, UAE, Canyon and Alpecin. “Until now we have not signed anything,” Carera said. “It’s another fake news story.”

Carera said Blasi’s camp want to see how she performs in the second half of the season before making any decision, adding that they have only informed UAE that it is not certain she will stay in 2027.

For Seixas, the interest is real enough. The teenager is under contract, already wanted, and already being discussed in figures that would have sounded absurd for a rider of his age only a short time ago. Carera’s intervention does not end the transfer story, but it does put a blunt question against the wildest number attached to it: if Pogacar’s value was built by winning the Tour, how can Seixas already be priced above him?