Androni Giocattoli team manager Gianni Savio has confirmed that he is ready to negotiate the transfer of Egan Bernal to a major WorldTour team, as he looks to make a return on his investment in the talented Colombian climber.
Cyclingnews understands that Team Sky, Movistar and Bahrain-Merida have all shown an interest in signing Bernal, with the first two most likely to complete an eventual deal with Savio and Bernal’s agent, Giuseppe Acquadro, who assists many of the best riders in Colombia.
There is no regulated transfer system in professional cycling, with smaller teams generally not rewarded for discovering and developing young riders. Instead, riders are free to change teams at the end of their short-term contracts with only a few opting to buy their way out of existing contracts to move to a new team.
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However, Savio, as he looks to survive as an Italian-based Professional Continental team, is determined to make a profit from his investment in Bernal and wisely included several financial clauses in his contract with Bernal.
Savio signed the 20-year-old thanks to his knowledge of the South American cycling scene. Bernal won a silver medal in the junior mountain bike World Championships but preferred to focus on road racing, signing a four-year contract with Savio in 2016. He is reported to have a Vo2max of 88.8 and has quickly shown his climbing ability with a series of placings, including seventh overall at this year’s Tour de Langkawi and second at the recent Giro dell’Appennino. He won the Tour of Bihor and finished fourth overall at the Tour de L’Avenir in 2016 and also won a series of best young rider jerseys. He is currently second in the best young rider competition at the Tour of the Alps, behind Britain’s Hugh Carthy.
“We’ve had several offers for Egan Bernal, even with the idea of him transferring teams this summer so that he can ride the Vuelta a Espana, Savio confirmed to Cyclingnews at the Tour of the Alps.
A transfer system
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