Jumbo Wisma (open in new tab) is hoping to agree to a contract extension with Wout Van Aert (open in new tab) in the coming weeks, but according to Dutch website Wielerflits, Ineos Grenadiers (open in new tab) also is interested in the Belgian classic rider, sprinter and cyclo-cross rider.

According to Wielerflits (opens in new tab), Ineos manager Dave Brailsford tried to sign Van Aert in 2018, spoke with his agent at this year's Tour de France, and that conversation is still ongoing.

Ineos' budget for 2022 is set at about €50 million, and Wielerflits has suggested that Van Aert could overtake Peter Sagan as the highest earning rider on the World Tour, earning €6 million per year.

Van Aert is reportedly happy with Jumbo Visma, but his victories at Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo, a stage win at the Tour de France, second place at the Tour de Flanders, and wins in both the road race and time trial world championships proven that he is a star in the sport.

His duel with Mathieu Van der Pol at the Tour de France and the battle for the green jersey will be one of the biggest storylines of the next five years, as the two will clash on Sunday in the Namur cyclo-cross World Cup race.

Ineos has never won the Tour de Flanders or Paris-Roubaix, and Van Aert could lead the team in the classics, further strengthening Ineos' Tour de France team and testing its mettle in the Grand Tours, while targeting shorter stage races.

Van Aert will also play a role in Brailsford's plans to shed his robotic image and develop a more aggressive and open racing style after seven stage and overall victories at the Giro d'Italia. Van Art will lead a new Classics team that includes his cyclocross rivals Tom Pidcock, Michel Kwiatkowski, Filippo Ganna, Luke Rowe, and Dylan van Baarle.

Ineos also has 11 industrial sites in Belgium, employing thousands of people.

Jumbo Bisma also has much to offer Van Art and has grown in recent years to challenge and beat Ineos. The Dutch Jumbo supermarket chain has not been hit hard by the COVID-19 craze, and has also seen growing interest in Belgium, where Van Aert was recently named Sportsman of the Year.

The team has signed Tom Dumoulin, Primoz Roglic, Steven Kruijswijk, and Dylan Groenewegen, but knows Van Art's value to other potential sponsors and is prepared to significantly increase his salary in 2021 before his contract expires is.

Reports that Ineos is interested in Van Art may be a simple ploy by his agent to trigger a bidding war and get Jumbo Visma to raise his offer. However, Van Aert has undoubtedly been contacted and considered by all the leading teams in the sport.

His agent, Jeff van den Bosch, refused to comment to Het Laatste Nieuws: "I have not communicated anything about ongoing discussions."

Van Aert's agent, Jeff van den Bosch, told the Nieuws: "I have not communicated anything about any ongoing discussions.

The Belgian newspaper also reported that Jumbo Visma refused to comment and Ineos Grenadiers did not respond to Cycling News' inquiries.