According to the Dutch news media Wielerflits (opens in new tab), Annemieke van Fluten will reportedly sign a two-year contract with Movistar Team Women. The current road racing world champion was negotiating with other teams after her contract with Mitchelton Scott expired at the end of this year.

Van Vleuten told Cycling News on Monday that he could not confirm the reports linking her to Movistar.

"No, I cannot confirm," Van Vleuten wrote in an email response to Cycling News, reiterating that she had not yet signed a contract for next year.

Van Vleuten has also been linked to the new women's team Jumbo Visma in recent weeks. According to a report on the Dutch website "Cycling Opinions," Jumbo-Visma plans to establish a women's team in 2021, and initial reports indicated that the team was eyeing Van Vleuten and Marianne Foss as co-leaders of the new program.

According to the Dutch news media AD, Voss has reportedly signed a two-year contract with the new Jumbo-Visma women's team starting in 2021, but there is no further news on Van Vleuten's potential team in 2021.

Wielerflits reports that Van Vleuten is closer to signing with the Movistar Team Women for 2021 and 2022 than Jumbo-Visma, according to many of their reliable sources.

Van Vleuten accepted a significant pay cut this season to keep Mitchelton Scott as the COVID-19 coronavirus affects cycling events, teams, and sponsors. Also, after a period of unsuccessful sponsor buyouts from Manuela Fundacion, team owner Jerry Ryan promised to financially support the team for two more seasons.

Van Vleuten admitted in a zoom interview with the international press last month that he had not yet renewed his contract with Mitchelton Scott and was in talks with other teams.

Since joining the Orica AIS team (now Mitchelton Scott) in 2016, Van Vleuten has blossomed as a rider. In the past five years, she has won two overall titles at the Giro Rosa in 2018 and 2019, individual time trial world titles in 2017 and 2018, and a road race world title in Yorkshire last year. This season she is undefeated in five one-day races.

She did not renew her contract with Mitchelton-Scott, which expires in December, and admitted that she is in talks with both Mitchelton-Scott and other teams for 2021.

"Right now I am in talks with my current team and other teams," Van Vleuten said at the time. 'At this point I don't know where I'll be next year, but I'm confident I'll be fine.'

As for Movistar Team Women, they have made steady progress in their first two seasons racing in the top tier of women's cycling. The fact that they received a four-year world team license this year shows that management is committed to the development of the women's program.

Cyclingnews contacted Movistar Team Women to confirm reports that Van Vleuten was working on a deal with a Spanish team, but the team refused to comment on rumors regarding transfer talks, in accordance with team policy.