Jurgen Van Den Broeck is looking to extend his contract with current team OmegaPharma-Lotto, his agent Jef Van Den Bosch told Het Nieuwsblad. The Tour de France fifth place’s current deal expires at the end of next year but wants a longer commitment from the team and, more importantly, more money. Van Den Bosch is therefore in negotiations with the ProTour team.
The 27-year-old from Morkhoven has become hot property since July, when he got Belgium’s highest place in the Tour for 24 years. This, according to Het Nieuwsblad, made him the subject of Bjarne Riis’ plan B for the Saxo Bank-SunGard team; should Tour winner Alberto Contador find himself suspended for his positive clenbuterol test at the race, Van Den Broeck was to be Riis’s target.
This fact, says Van Den Bosch, makes Van Den Broeck’s bargaining position a lot stronger, especially as a Contador suspension would elevate his Tour finish to fourth.
Also likely to be part of the contract negotiations, according to Het Nieuwsblad, would be the fate of Van Den Broeck’s friend and teammate Jurgen Van Goolen, whose contract expires at the end of this year.