Even after his abandon from the Tour de France, Remco Evenepoel's future remains an ongoing saga this summer, with the latest Soudal-QuickStep transfer links possibly pointing further to his departure.
Dylan van Baarle is the latest name reportedly on the Belgian squad's radar, with the likes of Jasper Stuyven, Edward Planckaert already expected to be on board for next year. After Yves Lampaert extended his contract on Monday, the Classics seem to be fully back in focus for the former one-day masters, instead of building a core of Grand Tour support for their big star.
Fabio Van den Bossche, Steff Cras, Cériel Desal, and Alberto Dainese have also been linked to the Belgian squad, with Cras the only one who could be considered climbing support for Evenepoel, if he stays. Their direction appears to be clear.
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe remains the likely new home for Olympic champion Evenepoel, after Escape Collective reported during the Tour that the deal was incoming, and Daniel Benson's Substack had sources confirm the move was 70-80% complete.
Soudal-QuickStep's previous transfer windows had included moves clearly made in an effort to bolster the climbing support for their superstar, but not this season.
Van Baarle confirmed he would be leaving Visma-Lease a Bike on the Tour's second rest day, speaking on Dutch newspaper AD's In Koers podcast. While he couldn't yet confirm his landing spot for 2026, Soudal-QuickStep is the big connection, according to Flemish media.
Het Laatste Nieuws linked the former Paris-Roubaix and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad winner to Soudal-QuickStep, where he would become one of the headline names in their Cobbled Classics squad, after years of struggles and bad luck at Visma.
"I can't say where I'll be riding next year. I can say it won't be with my current team. Why? Those are choices you make. Choices you don't just make on a single day," said Van Baarle.
"I think it's good to have a new challenge after the bad luck of the past few years. I could be wrong. But I think I can still perform at the level I once did. I think I need a new incentive for that."
Crashes and injuries, including several collarbone fractures, saw him unable to make the impressions he did in the spring at Ineos Grenadiers, but a reset with Soudal could bring a new chapter in his already successful career.
If Evenepoel were to depart before the end of his contract, which would require a three-party agreement by all those involved – Soudal-QuickStep, the rider, and, in this case, probably Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe – sprints and Classics would again become the Belgian squad's goal.
Once the dominant force in the one-day arena, Evenepoel's rise to Grand Tour winner and Tour de France contender has seen them move away from what brought Patrick Lefevere and QuickStep ultimate success in the 2000s and 2010s.
Mikel Landa was brought in as a super domestique, but the team's former identity remains, with these latest transfer rumours all pointing to a focus on top sprinter Tim Merlier, young prospect Paul Magnier, and returning to the Classics as top contenders with the likes of Van Baarle.
It's speculative, but the movements in the transfer market by CEO Jurgen Foré and Soudal-QuickStep's management don't point to an immediate future with Evenepoel. The wait will rage on until before anything is confirmed about his future, but reading into the latest rumours suggests Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe's boss, Ralph Denk, will get what he wants – Evenepoel.
