Landa set to replace Nibali as Bahrain-Merida leader
Spanish rider leaving Movistar at the end of this season
Mikel Landa is set to replace Vincenzo Nibali as the Grand Tour leader at Bahrain-Merida as the WorldTour team undergoes a major shake-up for 2020.
Contract talks between Nibali and Bahrain stall
Transfer mechanics: Alaphilippe, Quintana and Nibali drive 100-rider market
Landa takes first victory in over a year with stage win at Coppi e Bartali
Transfer Mechanics: Nibali to Trek-Segafredo as Bahrain-Merida talks break down
Team Sky confirm that Ellingworth will join Bahrain-Merida in 2020
Cyclingnews has been told that Landa – currently at Movistar – agreed a two-year deal several months ago, as Bahrain-Merida looked to secure a new team leader in case contract negotiations with Nibali failed. Nibali has grown more determined to leave Bahrain-Merida in recent months after receiving a serious proposal from Trek-Segafredo. Negotiations with Bahrain-Merida reached deadlock in March after the Italian demanded a two-year deal on roughly the same salary as his current contract.
Bahrain-Merida have been interested in Landa for some time, and although they don’t see him as a like-for-like replacement for Nibali, they hope that the Spaniard can rediscover his best form in three-week stage races.
As Cyclingnews reported last week, Rod Ellingworth will move from Team Sky to Bahrain-Merida and join the team as part of its senior management next season.
Nibali is expected to take his entourage with him to Trek-Segafredo, including his brother Antonio, coach Paolo Slongo and doctor Emilio Magni.
Landa's contract with Movistar ends this season, and he was being courted by Astana. However, his move to Bahrain-Merida will likely spark a merry-go-round of Grand-Tour-leader transfers.
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Stephen is one of the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.