Maxim Van Gils will leave Lotto but are there any real winners in this transfer?

Ending contracts is never easy and while the Belgian wants to move, the transfer system may need reform

Maxim Van Gils on his way to third at Strade Bianche this spring. Photo courtesy of SWpix.

It looks as though Maxim Van Gils will get his way, forcing the annulment of his two-year contract with Lotto, and effectively clearing the pathway for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe or another major WorldTour team to pick up the talented 24-year-old. 

According to our sources, the departure from Lotto is almost certain to occur in the coming days but this is a more nuanced story than of a rider simply not being paid what he or his representatives deem worthy, and the ramifications of the transfer could be significant.

The situation once again raises questions over the validity of the current contract system, the growing disparity between the richest teams and the rest, and the very nature of how the transfer system is run. 

But to get to the bottom of what’s going on and why this is happening, we need to wind the clock back to the start of the year when Van Gils was starting the final year of his existing deal with the Belgian team.