The fact that the exceptional talent Paul Seixas is currently on everyone's lips is probably not new news. Neither is the fact that the young Frenchman only has a contract until 2027 and that several teams are already interested in him. The Dutch WorldTour team Visma | Lease a Bike has now also contacted Joona Laukka, the agent of the young French rider. According to HLN, talks began after Liège-Bastogne-Liège, where Seixas finished second behind Tadej Pogacar. The racing team had so far stayed out of the transfer poker surrounding the Frenchman, while other top teams had already put out feelers.
Several WorldTour teams in the race
UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and Netcompany INEOS Grenadiers have been following Seixas' development for months. His current employer, Decathlon CMA CGM, rates the contract extension as an absolute priority. CEO Dominique Serieys expressed his confidence that he will be able to tie the Frenchman to the team beyond 2027.
The French team is strengthening its ranks with mountain riders for the coming years. Pavel Sivakov from UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Jordan Jegat from TotalEnergies are to support Seixas in the mountains. The measures show how seriously Decathlon is taking the potential loss of its biggest talent.
Exceptional season for the 19-year-old
Seixas has achieved results this season that no 19-year-old has achieved before. At the Volta ao Algarve, he secured a stage win and second place overall. He finished second at Strade Bianche before triumphing in the Classic Drôme Ardèche with a 40-kilometre solo ride. He won three stages and the overall classification at the Tour of the Basque Country. This was followed by victory at La Flèche Wallonne and second place at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, where he held off Pogacar for a long time.
Seixas' performance brought him into the discussion for a possible Tour de France start in 2026, but Decathlon still sees considerable development potential in the Frenchman, who is only at the start of his career. This is another reason why the Tour start is not yet certain, as they do not want to unnecessarily waste the talent.
Visma's financial plans
Team Visma | Lease a Bike is currently looking for a new main sponsor. CEO Richard Plugge confirmed in recent weeks that negotiations are at an advanced stage. The target is an annual budget of between 60 and 70 million euros, which would correspond to or be just below the budget of UAE Team Emirates-XRG. With these financial resources, the Dutch team could keep up with the battle for Seixas.
Meanwhile, the Swiss media outlet Les Temps reported that Visma would be prepared to let Jonas Vingegaard go. A sale of the two-time Tour winner would not only free up salary mass, but also bring in a transfer fee. At the same time, Seixas would be able to take over unrestricted team management, which could be a good argument in favour of the young Frenchman's move.
Leon Weidner
Working student
