Following his announcement on Friday that he would be leaving Arkéa-Samsic at the end of the season, Nairo Quintana has been linked with a move to another French team in the WorldTour.
In a social media post the Colombian said that his three years at the ProTeam would come to an end this year, despite having signed a three-year contract extension back in August.
However, it appears that the deal was never signed and was instead only agreed in principle, meaning that Quintana is free to leave and find a new squad for 2023.
The team confirmed his departure in a short announcement on Saturday, stating, “The Arkéa-Samsic team confirms that Nairo Quintana’s contract with the team will not be renewed in 2023.”
Despite rumours that the non-renewal of his contract was linked to his ongoing tramadol case and disqualification from the Tour de France, the team made no mention of the affair.
Sunday brought new rumours of Quintana’s future, with French newspaper L’Equipe (opens in new tab) linking him with a French WorldTour team for next season.
The report cited “sources close to the Colombian”, noting that a French team had already made him a contract proposal.
Current French WorldTour teams number AG2R Citroën, Cofidis, and Groupama-FDJ, with each squad boasting several spaces for next season. As of yet no other teams have been strongly linked with Quintana’s signature.
Quintana is still awaiting the outcome of his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over his Tour de France disqualification. He had returned positive tests for tramadol on two stages of the race, and subsequently missed the Vuelta a España in order to fight his case.
The 32-year-old will not race again in Arkéa-Samsic colours, having brought his season to a close at the UCI Road World Championships last week.
Quintana has unexpectedly become a major name on the transfer market this winter, providing a jolt a market which had been drying up. Other major names yet to decide their future include sprinters Mark Cavendish and Fernando Gaviria.
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