Now that the pro season nears its halfway marker and the Grand Tours are in full flow, we are already looking forward to the 2027 season.
The transfer window is about to crack wide open as riders use this busy time of year to get the ball rolling on contract negotiations for 2027. Rider agents are talking with potential teams, and we’re already getting rumours about some big moves in the winter.
Before the rumours become confirmations in the summer, let’s take the moment to remind ourselves of who’s up for grabs this year. This list compiles the biggest names available on the transfer market in 2026, where there’s reason to believe that a transfer could be on the cards. Among the names are Grand Tour winners, Monument victors and former world champions set to be embroiled in some tense transfer negotiations over the next few months.
Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney
Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney’s contract expires at Canyon-Sram-Zondacrypto this year after nine seasons spent with the German squad. During that time, she has picked up a host of big results, including that iconic Tour de France triumph in 2024, plus major Classics victories and Grand Tour podium finishes.
The Pole will be one of the most lucrative names up for grabs this year, and one of the most expensive. She would go into most teams as the protected leader with the real chance of picking up further Grand Tour podiums at age 31.
The 2024 Tour de France Femmes winner is already linked away from her current team. Indeed, rumours suggest the Pole could be on her way to Lidl-Trek in 2027. This comes after some money trouble strikes Canyon-Sram-Zondacrypto, following financial hardship at the Polish crypto firm, which fronts a large share of the team’s budget.
Jai Hindley
Fresh off his 30th birthday celebrations, Australian Jai Hindley has already become one of the key transfer targets for top teams in 2026.
Hindley is one of the only former Grand Tour winners on the men’s market this year. That victory came in 2022, when he first joined Bora, but he’s still got some expertise in these big races. Last year, he finished in fourth place at the Vuelta, and he’s managed to finish inside the top five at Tirreno-Adriatico and the Volta a Valenciana in recent years.
Current rumours point towards a move to Visma-Lease a Bike. We’ve previously speculated a move to Netcompany Ineos or Jayco-AlUla, but Visma seems to be leading the early charge for Hindley’s signature. At Visma he’d slot in as a fitting replacement for the recently retired Simon Yates, who had also won a Giro d’Italia.
Primož Roglič
Alongside Hindley, Primož Roglič and Remco Evenepoel are up for contract renewal, or transfer, at the end of 2026. Evenepoel has just penned a lifetime deal with Specialized, which could confirm his future at Red Bull. That then leaves Roglič, who might be calling time on his stint at Red Bull after three seasons with the team.
The four-time Vuelta champion will be 37 years old by the time the 2027 season gets underway, so this could be seen as Roglič’s last big contract. Still able to contend at Grand Tours and WorldTour stage races, the Slovenian justifies a big-money agreement with a top team. Although at this point in time, we don’t know whether that future will be at Red Bull or a competing squad.
Regardless, Roglič has fended off claims that he might be retiring at the end of 2026. In March, the Slovenian said that he ‘hopes to race for several more years’, despite skipping the 2026 Tour de France to focus on a potential fifth Vuelta a España title. If he manages to secure that record-breaking Vuelta win, his stock will undoubtedly rise going into the 2027 season.
Elisa Balsamo
There aren’t many sprinters on the women’s market for 2027 after some big moves in 2025 and 2026, notably anchored by Charlotte Kool. That means Elisa Balsamo would be a steal for any team hoping to boost their chances in the sprints.
The 28-year-old Italian has been one of the most successful sprinters in the women’s peloton over the past three or so seasons, having picked up three Trofeo Binda titles. She’s not been quite as prolific recently, but she’s still managed to sprint to podium finishes at the Ronde van Brugge and Scheldeprijs, two of the most hotly-contested flat Classics.
Lidl-Trek are among the women’s teams with the biggest budget, so financial constraints shouldn’t force Balsamo out. In that case, we’re left wondering whether she sees her future at Lidl-Trek despite a disappointing start to the 2026 season. A squad like UAE Team ADQ could be an ideal destination, but we’re still waiting for the rumours to start trickling in.
Pfeiffer Georgi
While Tao Geoghegan Hart, Ethan Vernon and national champion Millie Couzens all find themselves without a contract for 2027, Pfeiffer Georgi will be one of the Brits to watch when it comes to this year’s transfer window.
The two-time national champion has been a steady figure in the Classics in recent seasons, with her biggest result a podium finish at Paris-Roubaix in 2024. Her versatility is also evident, with solid results on hillier profiles and sprint finishes alike. So while she doesn’t have too many pro victories to her name, she could be moulded into one of the world’s best domestiques.
Picnic-PostNL are rumoured to be in troubled water when it comes to finances, having missed the UCI deadline to publish their accounts last autumn. They raked in some money by selling off Oscar Onley and Charlotte Kool last year, but the team’s results and transfers over the past year have been dire. They failed to pick up a big name in the last women’s transfer window, exchanged for some big losses, including Paris-Roubaix winner Franziska Koch, sprinter Megan Jastrab and white jersey winner Nienke Vinke. Georgi is one of the last star names left on the squad, so it would be important to keep her on board, however flailing results and a talent exodus suggest the Brit might be heading elsewhere for 2027.
If we’re to speculate, Georgi would thrive in a team like SD Worx-Protime, Visma-Lease a Bike, UAE Team ADQ or even FDJ United-Suez. Seeing how well Koch thrived at the French team over the past months, Georgi might feel enticed to follow in her footsteps.
Arnaud de Lie
Belgian sprinter Arnaud de Lie has enjoyed some big successes since turning pro with Lotto in 2022. While his Grand Tour results have been lacklustre, he’s managed to win the Renewi Tour, GP Québec and Bretagne Classic over the past few years.
The Belgian is capable of contesting both Classics and Grand Tour sprints, with an angle to tougher finales. However, this year marks a fork in the road for the youngster as he evaluates his future. Despite becoming Lotto-Interamrché’s dedicated sprinter and Classics contender, the Wallonian is rumoured to be going out the door.
Tudor Pro Cycling top the list of potential destinations, with a three-year deal mooted at the Swiss team instead of a WorldTour move to Soudal Quick-Step and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, who have both shown interest according to the Belgian press.
Ben O’Connor
Ben O’Connor is Australia’s most recent Grand Tour podium finisher, and like fellow Perth native Jai Hindley, O’Connor’s contract expires at the end of the season.
His results since moving to Jayco-AUla haven’t been too convincing either. Yes, he won the queen stage of last year’s Tour de France, but his GC results have been underwhelming – he’s only broken the top ten at one WorldTour race since pulling on Jayco’s purple jersey, and he missed out on a top ten at last summer’s Tour.
That said, O’Connor has been proven in his previous Decathlon team as a strong climber and GC contender, finishing inside the top four at the Giro and Tour, as well as riding to top five finishes at Tirreno-Adriatico, Critérium du Dauphiné and the UAE Tour. Last season could have been a blip, but it seems the change of environment hasn’t worked out for his palmarès.
In that case, a transfer could be on the cards, despite a short two-year stint at his home team of Jayco-AlUla. Netcompany Ineos or Visma-Lease a Bike could be worthy avenues to explore, but we wait to see whether he makes the plunge elsewhere.
Richard Carapaz
Richard Carapaz is another Grand Tour winner without a contract for 2027, though the Ecuadorian has been offered short-term contracts since he joined EF Education-EasyPost in 2023. He was last handed a one-year extension, so we could expect the same to happen this year, despite his looming 33rd birthday.
The 2019 Giro winner has had some mixed results since joining the team in 2023. He’s failed to pick up a big GC win, but he has won the polka-dot jersey and finished on the podium of the Giro d’Italia. Judging from that bullish Giro performance last year, he might still have some Grand Tour legs in him.
EF Education-EasyPost are often strapped for cash – getting Carapaz on board in the first place was a big decision financially, as proven in the final series of Tour de France: Unchained – so keeping him on board might be tough given his lack of results in 2026. A big-money extension for Irish rider Ben Healy has also set the team back on money, if previous reports are to be true. EF have already laid out their stall in searching out some new big sponsors in 2027. Perhaps they could bring the extra bucks needed to keep Carapaz on the roster.
Egan Bernal
OK, we still have one more Grand Tour winner on this list. Egan Bernal is another big name yet to confirm a contract for 2027, although murmurs suggest his future has already been decided.
The 2019 Tour de France winner has been at Ineos since he moved onto the WorldTour in 2018, and the team supported him to that historic Tour win, the first for a Colombian, then throughout his long-term recovery from a brutal training crash in 2022. He’s now back to full fitness and has regained some leadership roles, including at this year’s Giro d’Italia, but is yet to reach his pre-crash heights.
The Colombian is said to be in talks for a contract extension at Netcompany Ineos, who recently brought Café de Colombia in as a sponsor. The deal is claimed to be on a four-year basis, which would him to the age of 33, but previous rumours suggested a move to Visma-Lease a Bike – although those were disregarded by the Colombian at last year’s Vuelta.