According to Het Laatste Nieuws, Jan Bakelants will leave Omega Pharma-Quick Step this winter to head over to the French WorldTour team AG2R-La Mondiale.

The French team is rumoured to have offered him a free role within the team, something he has not been granted so far in his year at OPQS, although he seized his chance at the Criterium du Dauphine, where he won stage 6.

He has yet to sign the contract with AG2R but the deal is expected to be concluded soon. He is believed to have rejected a new deal with the Belgian outfit, just like Dutch teammate Wout Poels.

The Belgian is a former Yellow Jersey wearer in the Tour de France after he won his first pro race on stage 2 in the 2013 Tour. He was due to ride for the Alonso team in 2014, but when they failed to materialise, he was left to scramble for a team last minute and OPQS picked him up.

He rode the Tour again this year, finishing 24th overall. He last rode the Clasica San Sebastian and will resume competition later this month at the GP Plouay.