Mikel Landa to Movistar
Mikel Landa to Movistar
Giro d’Italia third-place finisher Mikel Landa (Astana) has attracted attention from a number of teams keen to beef up their Grand Tour options.
Movistar might be one team with no shortage of firepower in the mountains, with Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde finishing second and third at the Tour de France, but Spaniard Landa showed how valuable an asset he can be at the Giro d’Italia and will no doubt get his chance to shine in Italy again without the need to support Fabio Aru (and/or Vincenzo Nibali) if he leaves Astana.
With Quintana and Valverde already at Movistar, the addition of Landa would make the team an even fiercer proposition in all three Grand Tours.
But Movistar aren’t the only potential suitors for Landa, with Team Sky also heavily linked – and the British team have a Richie Porte-sized hole to fill too.
RCUK rumour rating: 4/5
With Aru and Nibali already on the books at Astana, Landa will likely have to leave to fulfil his Grand Tour ambitions after that surprise third at the Giro. He won’t be short on options either, and while Movistar are favourites to land the Spaniard’s signature, don’t rule out Team Sky.