Landa in talks for Euskaltel move as UAE prepare transfer reshuffle

According to Deia, negotiations between Mikel Landa and Euskaltel-Euskadi are at an advanced stage, with both sides fully committed to a reunion despite no official confirmation. The reports also suggest that Soudal Quick-Step are not expected to renew his contract at the end of the season, while the Basque team is also said to have secured the financial backing needed for one of its biggest modern signings.

A transfer to Euskaltel-Euskadi would bring Landa's career full circle. The 36-year-old Basque rider raced with the original Euskaltel-Euskadi WorldTour team from 2011 to 2013 before signing for Astana after the team folded due to the loss of its title sponsor.

Following the collapse of the original Euskaltel-Euskadi, Landa played a key role in helping save the Euskadi Foundation in 2017, serving as its president as it rebuilt from the Continental level back to the professional ranks. 

Euskaltel returned as title sponsor in 2020, restoring one of cycling's most iconic team names to the peloton. However, Landa was forced to step down as Foundation President in 2021 after UCI regulations ruled it a conflict of interest for him to hold the position while racing for another professional team.

Landa is currently riding his third season in Soudal Quick-Step colours, having joined from Bahrain-Victorious in 2024. Landa supported Remco Evenepoel to the Tour de France podium in his first season with the team, while finishing fifth overall himself. Last season saw Landa suffer a crash on the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia in Tirana, Albania, which left him with a stable fracture of his T11 vertebra.

This season has been a difficult one for Landa, as he was forced out of racing the Giro after suffering a small pelvic fracture in a crash at the Itzulia Basque Country in April. Landa was also not included in the Belgian team’s squad for the Tour due to a lingering back injury. 

Meanwhile, UAE Team Emirates-XRG are also expected to be active in the transfer market. According to reports including Daniel Benson, the Emirati squad are set to lose Igor Arrieta to Lidl-Trek, while Marca reports that Abel Balderstone is in talks to step up to the WorldTour from Caja Rural-Seguros RGA.

Arrieta joined UAE from Equipo Kern Pharma in 2024, and he claimed his first professional victory with the team the following year at the Prueba Villafranca - Ordiziako Klasika. 

This season, the 23-year-old won his first Grand Tour stage at the Giro after a memorable battle from the breakaway against Afonso Eulálio, which saw both riders suffer separate crashes, with Arrieta also going the wrong way in the closing kilometres.

Balderstone has established himself as a key rider at Caja Rural since joining the ProTeam in 2022. 

The 25-year-old finished 13th overall at the Vuelta a España last season and is currently part of Caja Rural’s Tour squad this July. Balderstone won the Spanish time trial championships in 2025.

According to Benson, Caja Rural are also set to lose two more climbers for 2027 to Pinarello-Q36.5 in the shape of Sebastian Berwick and Jan Castellón.