Lars van der Haar is likely to continue his career in a Belgian team. According to the usually well-informed website veldritkrant.be, the Dutchman and his former mentor Richard Groenendaal are close to a move to Marlux-Napoleon Games.

Team manager Jurgen Mettepenningen describes the rumor as "premature" but admits to having held talks. Because of the cyclo-cross world championships this weekend, the negotiations have stopped.

Veldritkrant.be relies on various sources. A transfer is possible because Van der Haar's contract with Giant-Alpecin is axpiring and the survival of the Rabobank Development Team where Groenendaal is working now, is highly uncertain due to the loss of sponsor Rabobank.

Recently, Marlux-Napoleon Games started to look for a new team manager because Mario De Clercq will have another job. The possible hiring of Groenendaal is therefore not impossible.

In the Belgian team, leader Klaas Vantornout's contract is also expiring. The two-time Belgian champion has had  abad year. "Van der Haar is of course a winner. I am always interested in winners," said Mettepenningen. "On one hand there is nobody who says Klaas has to go. But if he stays, of course, it will be on other terms than those that are in his current contract," said the team manager about Vantornout.

Besides Marlux-Napoleon Games, Telenet Fidea have shown interest in Van der Haar. At the team that will soon have Sven Nys at the helm, there is no place for Groenendaal, what makes a signing of Van der Haar unlikely.