Cycling’s Super Teams Are Already Fighting for Paul Seixas

Paul Seixas is only 19, but the French prodigy is lighting up cycling’s next high-stakes bidding war among the peloton’s super teams.

Barely weeks into 2026, speculation about the future of the peloton’s next big star is already creating a frenzy among the richest teams.

Fresh off his first pro win and a fearless ride alongside Tadej Pogačar at Strade Bianche, Seixas is suddenly at the center of cycling’s next contract showdown as WorldTour teams circle for his signature.

“I think every team wants him,” UAE sport manager Joxean Matxin Fernández told Het Laatste Nieuws. “He is a very interesting rider, but he still has a contract with his current team.”

Although he has a signed contract at Decathlon CMA CGM through 2027, the rumor mill is already spinning into a growing tornado.

One source told Velo that every major team with deep pockets is pursuing talks with the most coveted young rider in the peloton.

That dynamic will set up a blockbuster bidding war among the super teams that are already spending unprecedented money on pro cycling contracts.

According to Het Laatste Nieuws, things are already coming to a head.

The Belgian daily reported that negotiations to update and extend Seixas’ current deal have been put on hold until after the spring classics.

HLN also reports that UAE Emirates-XRG is already making a play. The team reportedly sees Seixas as a long-term heir to Pogačar.

Although the squad boasts rising GC stars Isaac del Toro and João Almeida, UAE won’t want to miss out on the chance to sign the French phenom.

Decathlon CMA CGM, however, is not eager to lose its crown jewel.

The French team’s growing budget and backing from new co-sponsor CMA CGM could help secure a new deal.

There will be big pressure on Seixas to stay on a French team as the first exciting French rider in a generation to create so much buzz.

Unlike recent blockbuster deals involving Remco Evenepoel, Oscar Onley, Derek Gee, and Juan Ayuso — all of whom broke contracts to switch teams for 2026 — the speculation now is centering on where Seixas might land.

The teenager remains under contract through the end of 2027.

Big multi-million-dollar, multi-year contracts take a long time to hammer out, so something will likely be in place before the end of this season.

And the longer negotiations stall, the louder the noise will grow.