Will Paul Seixas stay at Decathlon? Team boss announces major transfer push to support Tour star

Paul Seixas was one of the biggest stars of the recent Tour de France. Expectations had been high for the 19-year-old prodigy from Decathlon CMA CGM, but by finishing fourth overall in Paris, he showed that he already belongs among cycling’s very best riders. The question now is how his team can persuade him to stay. Team boss Dominique Serieys believes he already has the answer.

Seixas was one of the sport’s most sought-after talents even before turning professional. In his first season in the professional ranks, the youngster immediately delivered a series of impressive results, including third place at the European Championships behind Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel. In 2026, however, he made another enormous step forward. He won the Tour of the Basque Country and La Flèche Wallonne, raising expectations even further.

After all those outstanding performances, Decathlon eventually decided to send the exceptionally young rider to the Tour de France. Many questioned the decision: would it place too much pressure on him? Serieys insists that the pressure came from outside Decathlon CMA CGM. “Unlike our competitors, we did not put any pressure on him in this case, nor did we impose a timetable,” he said. “The pressure is created by the media and fuelled by those trying to tempt him away.”

The Frenchman was referring to the large number of teams lining up for Seixas. UAE Team Emirates-XRG have made no secret of their interest and have already offered his younger brother a place in their development programme. Visma | Lease a Bike have also spoken openly about the possibility of signing the French prodigy. Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and Pinarello-Q36.5 are also reportedly eager to secure his services.

Decathlon CMA CGM are nevertheless determined to keep the climber. The team want to renegotiate his existing deal, while French president Emmanuel Macron has even become involved in efforts to keep Seixas with a French squad, with the long-term dream of seeing him win the Tour de France. Speaking to Le Parisien, however, Serieys stressed just how young Seixas still is. “You must not forget that Paul is 19 years old. Whether our contract extension is for three years or five, he will only be 23 or 24 by the end of it.”

Securing such an extension would already represent a major victory for the team, but there would still be plenty of work to do. Seixas would need to receive a considerable salary increase, while the team’s long-term sporting project would also have to convince him. Decathlon are already working hard on that plan. “We are bringing in four or five new riders, who we will present at the beginning of September,” Serieys revealed.

Serieys did not disclose the identities of those riders, but he believes the recruitment drive says a great deal about the team’s confidence in Seixas and in the Decathlon CMA CGM project as a whole. “In any case, we have identified the elements and the development the team needs,” he explained. “We are now building a squad with plenty of support riders — and not only for the Tour de France.”