Lukasz wisniowski (Etixx-QuickStep)(Image credit: Etixx - Quick-Step/Tim De Waele)
Sergio Henao (Sky)(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Although Team Sky have been relatively quiet so far on the transfer market, Cyclingnews can confirm that Lukasz Wisniowski is close to signing a deal and joining from Etixx-QuickStep. The British WorldTour team are also set to re-sign Sergio Henao.
Two riders who have already announced their departure from Team Sky are Nicolas Roche, who heads to BMC Racing, and Xavier Zandio, who is set to retire at the end of the season. Andrew Fenn is also looking at options away from the team.
Wisniowski, 24, would link up with former world champion and compatriot Michal Kwiatkowski should he join the team.
"He’s close to going there and I've told Patrick Lefevere. I've been in contact with Sky and we're working on a contract," Wisniowski’s agent, Giuseppe Acquadro told Cyclingnews.
The Pole's future looked unclear last week when, despite links to Team Sky, Lefevere told Cyclingnews that a one-year deal had been reached between the rider and Etixx. Acquadro was quick to deny this and in the last few days Lefevere confirmed to Cyclingnews that he had gone straight to Team Sky's Dave Brailsford, and swapped texts over the future of Wisniowski.
"I texted him. He replied a few days later because he said he was sick," Lefevere told Cyclingnews.
The Belgian team manager is still looking to settle his team for next year. He can only offer riders one-year deals at present and one rider he is looking to keep is Tony Martin. The German's market value may have declined in recent times but he is still a multiple world champion with an incredible palmares. He has been linked with a move to Bora, and also Katusha, in 2017.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"We've offered a deal but there's no agreement yet," Lefevere said.
"I have no new riders at the moment but we're more or less on 25, including the three young riders coming up."
Brailsford is also set to offer a new contract to another of Acquadro's riders, Sergio Henao.
The Colombian rider was pulled from racing for the second time in his Sky career earlier this year due to an investigation into his Biological Passport data. He was, however, cleared to race in June and formed part of Chris Froome's title defence at the Tour de France. Sergio Henao's cousin, Sebastian, already has a deal at Team Sky for 2017.
Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*
Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
