Lidl-Trek could shake up transfer market again — Eyes on Red Bull-BORA talent

The arrival of Juan Ayuso was already a big fish that Lidl-Trek landed this winter, but the American-registered team may be planning something even bigger for next year, according to HLN. Although the German formation made a strong move on the transfer market with Remco Evenepoel, CEO Ralph Denk should worry about the possible departure of Florian Lipowitz.

The 25-year-old German showed enormous potential last season, by finishing second in Paris–Nice and third in the Dauphiné — only to claim third overall in his first Tour de France. As the “best of the rest,” behind Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard, Lipowitz confirmed his status as a top climbing talent.

Since joining Red Bull in 2023, he had already impressed with stage and overall wins in the Tour of Czechia (2023), a third place in the Tour de Romandie, overall victory in the Sibiu Cycling Tour — and a seventh place in the Vuelta a España (all in 2024), his first Grand Tour.

Lipowitz was already a figurehead at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe — a role that might become even more pronounced given the team’s German licence. Still, he may get a choice to make, since his contract runs through 2026 and has not yet been extended; that opens the door for other WorldTour teams to strike after the coming season.

The link with Lidl-Trek is not far-fetched: Lidl is a German supermarket chain. And the team has enduring ambitions in general classification racing — ambitions that have not really taken off since Lidl became involved. Mattias Skjelmose and Giulio Ciccone made decent attempts, but for podium places in the Grand Tours, Lidl-Trek is aiming from 2026 onward at Juan Ayuso, and perhaps more…

Reportedly, Lidl-Trek will not attempt to sign Lipowitz already for 2026 — but a free transfer could be possible starting 2027. Just like Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, money flows freely at Lidl-Trek, backed by major sponsors and with the ambition to target the very top. HLN claims that with a tailored program in 2026, Lipowitz could perhaps be convinced to stay.

The big question is how far Red Bull is willing to accommodate Lipowitz’s demands, now that a big leader in Evenepoel has joined. He previously hinted at participating in major climbing classics — and maybe even a Giro–Tour double. On top of that, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe already has Grand Tour contenders Primož Roglič, Giulio Pellizzari and Jai Hindley on board. Lidl-Trek, meanwhile, would especially focus on Ayuso.