The transfer saga surrounding Belgian racer Maxim Van Gils and Lotto continues to rumble on with both parties now working towards an amicable agreement which will secure the 25-year-old move elsewhere sooner rather than later.
Van Gils' contract with the ProTeam runs to the end of the 2025 season, but he had expressed his desire to terminate his contract – only signed this spring – and sign a larger deal with a rival squad.
Teams including Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, Astana Qazaqstan, Ineos Grenadiers and UAE Team Emirates have all been linked with his signing. However, first he and his soon-to-be-former team will have to agree on a fee to break his contract early.
He said on Monday that talks with Lotto were "very positive", according to Het Laatste Nieuws, noting that "both parties will come to a good outcome as good friends."
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, armed with a bumper budget following the addition of their new title sponsor this year, looks to be the top contender for Van Gils' signature.
The German squad have added Oier Lazkano, Giulio Pellizzari and Laurence Pithie as major signings this off-season and aim to continue to strengthen in all areas for 2025.
Astana Qazaqstan are also back in the race, reports Het Laatste Nieuws. The team, which is hoping to avoid WorldTour relegation next winter, also have money to spend following a major investment from Chinese brand XDS Carbon-Tech.
The team have already brought in 12 new riders for 2025, with Fausto Masnada, Sergio Higuita, Diego Ulissi, Clément Champoussin and Wout Poels among their major signings. Het Laatste Nieuws reports that Astana has now made a "new and financially stronger offer" for Van Gils, after initial talks reportedly resulted in no progress.
Van Gils isn't one of the superstars of the current peloton but could still develop into one following a breakthrough 2024 season which saw him score a string of top-10 results in one-day races from February to September.
He scored victories at Eschborn-Frankfurt and the GP Kantons Argau and was on the podium at Strade Bianche and La Flèche Wallonne while also finishing in the top 10 at Milan-San Remo, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the GP Montréal, among others.
With a buyout fee reportedly in the region of €1-1.2million on the table and a future salary which could double that, Van Gils' new team will be expecting that he'll bring podiums and wins at those WorldTour and Monument Classics in the future.
