Soudal-QuickStep lead sponsor Soudal is aiming to remain as a title sponsor in the event of a merger between the Belgian team and Jumbo-Visma.
Since the news broke of the potential mega-merger between the two squads just over a week ago, the working idea has been that the resulting team would carry the title sponsors Soudal – a Belgian sealant and adhesive company – and Visma – a Norwegian business software provider.
Jumbo is set to pull out of sponsorship at the end of 2024, leaving the funding gap for Jumbo-Visma that the team are attempting to fill with the merger. The Dutch supermarket has previously indicated that it would pull out of cycling earlier if the team found a replacement before the end of the deal.
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Soudal, who moved from sponsoring Lotto at the start of this season, signed with Patrick Lefevere's squad on a five-year deal running to the end of 2027. QuickStep is also on board for 2027, the flooring company having renewed their long-running deal in mid-2021.
It's unclear how the big sponsorship deals will shake out on a post-merger team in 2024. However, Soudal is keen to continue as a title sponsor, the company's sponsorship and corporate communications manager told Het Laatste Nieuws.
"Name sponsorship is our strength," said Marko Heijl. "It provides return on investment. Our marketing strategy is focussed on that, and until further notice there is no reason to deviate from it.
"We made a contractual commitment at the time as an enthusiastic name sponsor, and it is our ambition to remain so."
A prospective new-look Soudal-Visma team will also be able to count on a reported €15m of sponsorship money from American tech giant Amazon, too. The team last year starred in an Amazon Prime series 'All-in Team Jumbo-Visma' and is set to welcome the company on board as a non-title sponsor for 2024.
The deal, in addition to the cash put in by Soudal and Visma, would likely boost the team to one of the best-funded in the peloton.
A move to Specialized bikes, mooted by some Belgian media sources in the past week, would increase the budget further, though any deal there would depend on Remco Evenepoel's future. The Belgian star is increasingly linked with a switch away from the newly merged squad to Ineos Grenadiers, with sources in L'Equipe stating over the weekend that the deal is ready to be signed.
On Saturday, Soudal-QuickStep boss Lefevere admitted that Amazon's involvement with Jumbo-Visma could be a "game changer" for any potential merger, muddying the waters on the future of the two teams further. He did, however, pledge that there would be "much more clarity" about the merger on Monday.
