Movistar was quick to deny speculation that Mark Cavendish would be added to the roster for the 2023 season, confirming that the roster for next season is already complete.

Cavendish does not yet have a team for 2023, and a report in Tuesday's La Gazzetta dello Sport (open in new tab) raised the hypothesis that he might sign with Movistar due to his longtime friendship with coach Max Chandri.

Movistar promptly quashed the rumor in a statement on social media.

"Please, kindly remind everyone that the men's team for 2023 will be 30 men (the UCI cap) and that this is only the wish of Max, a long-time friend of Cav," the team posted on its Twitter account (opens in new tab).

Movistar has already added a sprinter for 2023 with the acquisition of Fernando Gaviria from UAE team Emirates. The team's other new additions for the upcoming season are Ruben Guerreiro, who joined from EF Education First Easy Post, and Ivan Romeo, who moved to the World Tour from Hagens Berman Aktion.

Cavendish has been with Quick Step for the past two seasons, but has already decided to leave the Belgian team.

In recent weeks, Cavendish has been rumored to be moving to Jérôme Pinault's B&B Hotels, but the team canceled a press conference scheduled for the eve of the Tour de France route announcement last week.

The team was not included in the initial list of candidates for the 2023 professional team announced by the UCI last week.

French media reports have since highlighted the significant increase in the second-division team's finances and uncertainty regarding the arrival of new sponsors, but Pinault expressed confidence when speaking to Le Telegramme last week: "My team has people who will finance I am in constant contact with them. I am in constant contact with them and I hope to make a good announcement in November."

While the team has been working on the project for the past two years, the team has been working on the project for the past two years.

Meanwhile, Cavendish raced in the ASO-sponsored Tour de France criterium in Singapore on Sunday. He told Cycling News, "I'm very happy to be here.

The 37-year-old was on the brink of retiring after the 2020 season before agreeing to return to Quick-Step, winning four stages in the 2021 Tour de France, tying Eddy Merckx's all-time record of 34 wins,

and in 2022 Giro d'Italia stage win and the British national title, but he missed a chance to take the record when he was removed from Quick-Step's Tour team after Fabio Jacobsen was selected.