The Paula Blasi transfer saga has come to an end, with the rising Spanish star confirming that she has completed her exit from UAE Team l'IMAD and signed for a new team from 2027.
The 23-year-old did not specify which team she has signed for but it is widely understood to be Movistar, with multiple reports in the mainstream Spanish press detailing her move to the Spanish team.
Blasi herself hardly played down those reports during an appearance on Spanish national radio station RNE on Saturday morning.
Latest Videos FromCyclingnews
When asked if she'd be racing in Movistar colours in 2027, she started chuckling, then said: "For the moment, I cannot say anything. I hope that, whatever it is, it's announced soon. What I can say is that I'm very excited about the future."
Blasi went on to confirm that she has put pen to paper and that a complicated and drawn-out process is "definitively" in the past.
Blasi was contracted through 2027 with UAE Team l'IMAD, the team with which she turned professional mid-way through 2025, having previously competed in running and triathlon. Her rise has been extraordinary, with an eye-catching 2025 season giving way to a 2026 campaign in which she has won the Vuelta Femenina, Amstel Gold Race, Tour des Pyrenees, and Volta a Catalunya among other top results.
Blasi had a contract through 2027 but, crucially, a buy-out clause, reported to be €100,000, which team president Melissa Moncada described as "a stupid mistake" to Daniel Benson's Cycling Substack as the rider looked to engineer a move in the summer.
Movistar therefore appear to have triggered this relatively low figure, with multiple Spanish newspapers El País reporting that the Spanish team will pay her in the region of €500,000 annually on a three-year contract.
It is also being reported that Blasi had signed a pre-contract, or letter of intent, with Lidl-Trek – the other team in the fight for her signature – but that has also now been ripped up to pave the way for the Movistar move.
"A few days ago, everything was definitively closed," Blasi stated. "It's quite something, the paperwork and the things that go into it.
"But at least now I can concentrate squarely on cycling and leave behind the, let's say, nonsense away from the bike."
Without outright naming her future team, she added: "I believe it was the change I needed. I had a season with its good moments and its bad moments but now it's time for a next step and to race with a team that can accompany me in my ambitions, let's say."
UAE Team l'IMAD believed they could provide that environment and fought hard to keep Blasi but she ultimately believed her future was best served elsewhere.
Subscribe to Cyclingnews for comprehensive race coverage of both the UCI Road and Gravel World Championships, alongside the final monument of the season, Il Lombardia. Subscribers get unlimited access to exclusive analysis from our expert columnists, in-depth features and industry-leading tech insight. Plus, the Cyclingnews app lets you follow the action wherever you go! Join today.
