Julian Alaphilippe’s agent has requested contract talks to stay with Soudal-Quickstep according to team boss Patrick Lefevere, after his performances during last month’s Giro d’Italia "changed the market situation" for the Frenchman.
The future of the two-time world champion has been the subject of much speculation over the past few months, with links having been made with Alaphilippe joining Cofidis and other rumours circulating that he may choose to retire at the end of the season. Now, it appears that the 31-year-old would like to explore the possibility of staying with his current team.
The Giro d’Italia saw the Soudal - Quick-Step rider in his best form in years. He was a regular feature in breakaways throughout the race and won stage 12 solo on a hilly day perfectly made for a prime Alaphilippe.
“His agent Dries Smets has once again pushed for a new conversation,” Lefevere said in his regular Het Nieuwsblad column.
“I have no idea whether that is out of politeness or out of genuine interest in staying, because the Giro has of course also changed the market situation for Julian. I especially hope that I can sit with him again, face to face, without agents and without a negotiating agenda on my part,” the 69-year-old Belgian added.
Lefevere and Alaphilippe have had a difficult relationship in recent months after comments from Lefevere which took aim at Alaphilippe’s wife, Marion Rousse, after his under-par early season performances.
At the time, Rousse rebuffed Lefevere’s unfounded criticisms, encouraging him to “show a little more class.” Lefevere subsequently received a suspended fine from the UCI Ethics Committee for comments deemed ‘disparaging toward women’. The team manager publicly apologised meaning he was able to avoid the fine, but must avoid repeating an infringement for three years or face a similar penalty.
Lefevere claims in his latest column that he hopes to sit one-on-one with Alaphilippe to resolve their personal issues.
“[Lefevere wants] to clear the air personally and professionally. Julian has been in our team since he was seventeen. I'm not going to call him a son, but it doesn't make much difference. What happened happened. I said what I said. But I want to make sure that none of that sticks,” Lefevere said.
Lefevere disappointed with Paret-Peintre transfer leak
In his column, Lefevere also took aim at a potential leak within his Soudal - Quick-Step team which led to the rumour of his interest in Giro d’Italia stage winner Valentin Paret-Peintre being written about in the press this week.
According to a report in Het Laatste Nieuws, the 23-year-old has already agreed a deal with the team, with his Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale contract set to expire at the end of the season.
“I haven't even informed my team leaders yet and Paret-Peintre's transfer is already in the newspaper,” he said.
“Let me neither officially confirm nor deny: nothing has actually been signed yet, but I am not happy about such a leak to the press. Since it is in a Belgian newspaper, I suspect the source is in our team. And then I would have expected more discretion.”
Lefevere continued, ruing the common occurrence of riders who he is interested in scoring big results, and therefore increasing their market value. Last month Paret-Peintre won stage 10 of the Giro d'Italia atop the Bocca della Selva.
“It's almost unbelievable, but every rider we approach spontaneously starts winning races," Lefevere said. "In this case a ride in the Giro. You only have to be half a businessman to understand that the asking price will immediately increase.”
