Pogacar set to lose versatile domestique but Classics lieutenant to commit long-term future to UAE
Tadej Pogacar is reportedly set to lose a valuable domestique at the end of the current campaign, while another key teammate is set to commit his long-term future to UAE Team Emirates-XRG.
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Jhonatan Narváez is set to depart UAE Team Emirates-XRG at the end of 2026 to rejoin Ineos Grenadiers, while Florian Vermeersch has reportedly signed a contract extension with the Emirati team.
Daniel Benson first reported last month the possibility that the Ecuadorian could be set to make a return to the British team at the end of the 2026 season.
Ciro Scognamiglio has since taken the information one step further, stating “our sources confirmed us his move from next season from UAE Team Emirates-XRG to Ineos Grenadiers."
According to Scognamiglio, the transfer is all but sealed with only official confirmation remaining. The move would see Narváez return to the team with whom he spent five seasons from 2019 to 2024.
During that time, Narváez won two stages of the Giro d’Italia, the second of which in 2024, saw him pull on the pink jersey for a day. The Ecuadorian was also part of Tao Geoghegan Hart and Egan Bernal’s Giro victories in 2020 and 2021.
Narváez made a perfect start to life with UAE Team Emirates-XRG in 2025 when he won a stage and the GC at the Santos Tour Down Under, before becoming national champion for the third time in his career. The Ecuadorian was also part of Tadej Pogačar’s Tour de France winning squad, before winning a stage at the Lidl Deutschland Tour.
2026 started with a setback for Narváez after he crashed out of the Santos Tour Down Under while sitting 2nd in the GC, leaving him with several stable thoracic vertebrae compression fractures. Narváez’s injuries ruled him out of the Classics to date, and he has yet to return to racing.
Narváez isn’t the only domestique that Pogačar could be set to lose for 2027, as Pavel Sivakov (Decathlon CMA CGM) is set to depart for Decathlon CMA CGM on a three-year contract, according to L'Equipe.
However, a positive for Pogačar and UAE is that Florian Vermeersch has reportedly extended his contract, several sources have confirmed to Wielerflits.
Vermeersch, who signed for UAE in 2024 on a two-year deal, has enjoyed a strong Classics campaign this season.
He was a key lieutenant for Pogačar, most recently at the Tour of Flanders, where he finished 7th and also finished 3rd at Omloop Nieuwsblad and the E3 Saxo Classic.
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