“Jonas rides for Visma, I cannot talk about him personally,” Thomas said. “But who would not want him in their team? He is a fantastic athlete. But as far as I know, he has a contract until 2028, so…”
Vingegaard remains the dream-market name
Vingegaard to Netcompany INEOS remains a rumour shaped by logic rather than confirmed movement. Netcompany’s Danish arrival made the link unavoidable, while Vingegaard remains the biggest Danish rider in the sport and one of the few proven Tour-winning leaders capable of instantly changing the direction of a team.
The barrier is obvious. Vingegaard is under contract with Team Visma | Lease a Bike until the end of 2028 and has already denied speaking to either INEOS or Netcompany.
Thomas did not push against that reality. He pointed straight to it. But he also widened the answer beyond one rider, making clear that Netcompany INEOS are looking at the market through the lens of long-term Grand Tour strength. “In general, on the market, we are simply trying to strengthen and constantly improve,” he said. “Also by trying to focus on young riders who can win Grand Tours.”
That line matters for the next phase of the story. Vingegaard is the superstar already made. The harder search is for the rider who can lead the project into its next era.
Jonas Vingegaard poses next to the Giro d’Italia trophy
Seixas brings the future into focus
That is where the Paul Seixas rumours step in, taking the discussion from established superstar to next-generation centrepiece. The Decathlon CMA CGM Team teenager remains under contract until the end of 2027, but his rise has already turned him into one of the most watched riders on the market. UAE Team Emirates – XRG have been strongly linked, while Visma, Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe and Netcompany INEOS have also been part of the wider transfer conversation around his future.
Asked whether INEOS were in the race for Seixas, Thomas kept the answer open. “For now he is at Decathlon, but rumours like that are always circulating,” Thomas said. “I hope he has not already signed for UAE! They are a team that is winning a huge amount, they are really strong, so it is understandable that the rider would be interested, but… who knows. Could he one day ride for us? Never say never.”
That answer is careful enough to avoid turning speculation into certainty, but it also shows the level Netcompany INEOS want to occupy again. Seixas is not a support-piece rumour. He is one of the names being discussed as a future Grand Tour leader, exactly the kind of profile Thomas had just described.
UAE shadow sharpens the race for Seixas
Thomas’s UAE line cuts directly into one of the biggest tensions around Seixas. UAE already have Pogacar, Isaac del Toro, Juan Ayuso, Joao Almeida and a deep stage-race structure. Adding Seixas would strengthen the most powerful project in the sport and remove one of the clearest future Grand Tour leaders from the open market.
For Decathlon, keeping him would protect the heart of a French Grand Tour project. For Netcompany INEOS, a rider of that profile would fit a rebuild that cannot rely only on history and infrastructure.
Thomas did not claim anything was happening. His answer was careful, even playful. But the names tell their own story. Vingegaard is the dream if the market ever opens. Seixas is the future battleground already taking shape.
INEOS search for a new Grand Tour pillar
Thomas also placed the transfer discussion inside a much bigger team reset. “It is part of our plan to return to the top, to being an absolute reference point,” he said of Netcompany’s arrival. “We have started well, this year has begun in another gear, but… it must only be the beginning.”
That is the clearest indication of how high the team are aiming. The previous era was built around Grand Tour leaders who could convert collective strength into yellow jerseys. Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome, Thomas and Egan Bernal all carried that model at different points. Netcompany INEOS now need a new version of it.
Vingegaard has the status but not the availability. Seixas has the ceiling but remains at the centre of a crowded transfer fight. Pogacar and Evenepoel are, for now, out of reach.
Thomas’s answers did not turn rumour into fact. They did show the level at which Netcompany INEOS now want to operate again. The team are not being linked with support pieces. They are being linked with riders who could define the next phase of Grand Tour racing.