Belgian Astana rider Kevin Seeldraeyers is close to sign with Pro Continental team Wanty-Group Gobert.

Sports Director Hilaire Vanderschueren has told Het Laatste Nieuws that nothing is yet signed, but it is just a matter of time. “There is no signature yet but nothing should stand in the way of Kevin [Seeldraeyers] coming to us,”

The Belgian has been with the Astana Team for two years and before that he drove at QuickStep. Seeldraeyers had a great race in Austria this year, where he won two stages, the point classification, the mountain classification and finished 3rd in the GC.

However Vanderschueren is careful about the signing. He had a verbal agreement with Belgian Ben Hermans, but he signed with BMC. “That’s why I am a bit careful. I learned that a deal is never a deal before there is an actual signature, but nothing should stand in the way of his transfer [from Astana]."

The new Wanty-Group Gobert team is a continuation of Accent Jobs-Wanty. Vanderschueren is at the moment Sports Director at Vacansoleil-DCM. The team will be closed and Vanderschueren has brought new sponsors to the Accent Jobs-Wanty team to secure its future.

Some rumours have connected the Spaniard Samuel Sanchez with the Belgian team.