Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) has rejected an offer from Lotto-Intermarché, according to a report from Het Laatste Nieuws. The Belgian newspaper described the proposal as attractive but clearly not right for the Slovenian. Visma-Lease a Bike has apparently also ended talks about bringing him back, leaving the four-time Vuelta a España winner without a team for 2027.
Roglič said that there was a very real possibility that Il Lombardia could be the star rider’s final race as a professional with retirement seeming like a much more serious option than finding a new team for 2027.
Lotto-Intermarché had been open about its interest since the Vuelta. Sporting manager Kurt Van de Wouwer described a dual role for the 37-year-old, who would chase his own results while racing alongside the young climber Jarno Widar.
"He would be more than welcome. Primož is getting older, of course, but I see him as someone who can take on a twofold task," Van de Wouwer told Wielerflits in August. "On the one hand, he can still deliver results himself, for which there are certainly opportunities within our team, and on the other hand he can race with Jarno. If they can ride races together, that would be a win-win."
The Belgian squad are seeing two of their key leaders leave at the end of the season with Arnaud De Lie signing a four-year deal with Tudor Pro Cycling, and Lennert Van Eetvelt is moving to NSN Cycling as part of this autumn's transfers.
Visma steps back
In the transfer rumour mill there was a short-lived suggestion that Roglič could make a surprise return to Visma-Lease a Bike after he left at the end of 2023 to join Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe because Visma could no longer guarantee him Tour de France leadership. He has since won the 2024 Vuelta and Critérium du Dauphiné and the 2025 Volta a Catalunya.
Photo: Chris Auld/SWpix.comThe Dutch team apparently were interested in him back in the summer, and recent results, including his victory in the European Championships ITT on home soil in Slovenia, renewed that interest. However, sources at the team told Wielerflits that it had informed his entourage it would not sign him, but they declined to explain why.
Visma has 29 riders under contract for 2027 and plans to fill a 30th place, which it had kept open for a late opportunity in the transfer market. The other options are an opportunistic signing, a versatile Classics rider, or a promotion from its development squad.
Roglič’s season was compromised when a car struck him in training in late July. He missed both of his planned preparation races, then finished second at the Vuelta, 2:15 behind Enric Mas (Movistar Team).
Unibet Rose Rockets have also been in contact. Founder Bas Tietema said they spoke after the pre-Vuelta crash, when Roglič "was still very much searching for a direction,” Tietema said.
"I think he would be that for almost every team. But we simply have to see whether Roglic is realistic for us. And I think he also still has to decide whether he will remain a rider at all," he told Sporza.
The Rockets finished outside the top three ProTeams that earn automatic Tour entry. They depend on an ASO invitation for 2027, after missing a Tour wildcard this year and making their Grand Tour debut at the Giro d'Italia instead.
