Biniam Girmay could be on the transfer market if Intermarché and Lotto merge 🇪🇷
'If he’s on the market, there are five or six teams open to discuss with us' says rider's agent
If the reported merger between Intermarché-Wanty and Lotto goes ahead for 2026, more than a dozen riders could be seeking new teams. The specific riders affected by the likely merger depend largely on which team remains as the paying agent behind the squad. If Lotto takes control of the WorldTour licence, then Intermarché’s Biniam Girmay could be free to move to another team.
HLN, who has written extensively on this topic, believes that Lotto will become the paying agent of the team, meaning that all the riders currently on Intermarché, even those with contracts for next year, would need to be offered new terms by the merged team in order to stay. The Intermarché riders will have the current team’s paying agent listed on their contract, meaning that those deals are effectively voided if the merger goes ahead.
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The most notable rider likely to be on the market if the merger were to happen is Biniam Girmay, the team's leading sprinter. Although he hasn't won this season, he claimed three stages and the Green jersey at the Tour de France last year. The 25-year-old has a contract with Intermarché until the end of 2028.