Many offers for Evenepoel
Remco Evenepoel enters the decisive phase in deciding which team he will ride for next season. The current World Champion's immediate future was so far debated between renewing with Soudal-Quick Step or joining INEOS. However, other reports now indicate that Israel-Premier Tech, BORA-hansgrohe and Lidl-Trek are also calling at the Belgian's door.
Evenepoel has a growing number of pretenders
The interest in knowing in which team Evenepoel will ride continues to grow day by day. The season is progressing and the information and rumors about the transfer market follow one another at high speed. If we recently talked about the moves that INEOS is planning to acquire the Belgian's services, now the attention is focused on other teams that have also shown their desire to sign Remco.
The only thing we are absolutely sure of in this whole story is that Evenepoel has a contract with Soudal-Quick Step until 2026. According to several reports, the rider's first option would be to stay with the team next season, although he would have demanded two conditions.
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First, more money. The Belgian's current salary would be around 4 million, a figure that would satisfy the needs of many but insufficient for a Remco that would like a salary more similar to that of Pogacar, who is paid around 6 million.
Secondly, better support riders. Even though he won La Vuelta last year, Evenepoel would have asked for better teammates for a season in which he is expected to participate in the Tour. What's more, the media outlet HLN claims that one of those names is Mikel Landa.
Although Remco would have given priority to his team informing of his conditions to stay, his continuity in Soudal-Quick Step would be in the air. However, a move to another formation also looks complicated. With a valid contract and no cancellation clause, whoever wants Evenepoel will have to raise a large sum of money. A stumbling block to which should be added the contract that the rider could have with Specialized.
It should be noted that Patrick Lefevere, director of Soudal-Quick Step, has so far been confident that Evenepoel will remain with them and has denied some reports that pointed to the departure of their star rider.
Money is not a problem for INEOS, the best placed to sign Evenepoel in case he leaves their team. The British have been after him for a long time and the meetings they have had are well known. To complicate this script a little more, INEOS is rethinking what to do with Carlos Rodriguez.
The rider from Granada seemed to have one foot and a half in Movistar, but his great performance in the Tour has changed INEOS' plans, which would try to keep him in their ranks. However, if Evenepoel is finally signed, it is likely that they would then open the exit door for him.
Other candidates: Israel-Premier Tech, BORA-hansgrohe and Lidl-Trek also dream of Evenepoel
Of the other pretenders, Israel-Premier Tech seems to have the most interest. Sylvan Adams, the team's owner, was very hard on Chris Froome —who has been with the Israeli squad since 2021— saying he was "not at all" profitable and added that he would be happy if he packed his bags. This possibility would fill the team's budget to undertake a signing of Evenepoel's magnitude.
In addition, there are rumors that place the Belgian in tune with Lidl-Trek and Bora-Hansgrohe, although these reports present more doubts.
For his part, Lefevere has come out to try to calm the waters and defend himself against attacks that he had not yet paid Remco the bonuses for winning La Vuelta. "I don't owe a euro to anyone," he declared.
Evenepoel has before him a wide range of options to decide in which team to take the next steps of his career. At the moment this is all that is known about the future of the Belgian, although we will most likely have more information about this case in a short time.