The Paula Blasi Movistar deal will bring one of women’s cycling’s most sought-after riders to the Spanish WorldTour team in 2027.
Movistar confirmed Wednesday that Blasi will leave UAE Team L’IMAD and join the squad on a three-year contract. Her agreement runs through the end of 2029.
The move gives Movistar a Spanish leader with grand tour ambitions and proven one-day pedigree. It also ends months of speculation around one of the biggest names on the transfer market.
Blasi, 23, said she needed a different step in her career. In Movistar’s announcement, she said she wanted a team that believed in her goals and matched her ambition.
Paula Blasi Movistar move follows major reported investment
Movistar did not release financial details of the contract. MARCA reported that the team agreed to pay €85,000 to free Blasi from her UAE deal, which ran through 2027.
The same report said Movistar will pay Blasi about €600,000 per season. That would place the total salary commitment above €1.8 million across three years.
If accurate, the figure would make Blasi one of the highest-paid riders in women’s cycling. It also signals Movistar’s intent to return to the center of grand tour contention.
MARCA also reported that UAE offered more money to keep Blasi. She still chose Movistar after talks involving agent Alex Carera and team manager Sebastián Unzué.
Carera also represents Tadej Pogačar, adding another high-profile dimension to the negotiations.
Breakout 2026 season changed Blasi’s market value
Blasi’s rise accelerated during a standout 2026 campaign, only her second season as a professional.
She won Amstel Gold Race and then took overall victory at La Vuelta Femenina. Those results turned her into one of the transfer window’s defining targets.
She also made her Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift debut in 2026. Despite tension inside the UAE setup, she finished fifth overall.
During that race, Blasi also worked for teammate Elisa Longo Borghini, who reached the podium.
Her combination of climbing strength and aggressive racing style gives Movistar a rider suited to several race formats. She can target the Ardennes classics, stage races, and grand tour general classifications.
Movistar rebuilds after Van Vleuten era
Movistar has searched for a new long-term leader since Annemiek van Vleuten retired in 2023.
The team already includes Marlen Reusser and Liane Lippert. Blasi’s arrival adds another major option for decisive mountain stages and selective one-day races.
Blasi said she expects to grow while sharing leadership responsibilities. She also pointed to the chance to learn from Reusser as important for her development.
The home-team element also mattered. Blasi said wearing the Movistar jersey would make her proud because it represents her national squad.
Unzué called her arrival an important quality step for the team. He said Movistar can now compete more strongly in the calendar’s most important races.
The signing also puts Movistar more directly into races against Demi Vollering and Kasia Niewiadoma. Both remain benchmark riders at the sport’s biggest events.
Movistar’s men’s team also recently returned to grand tour success. Enric Mas won La Vuelta a España, the squad’s first men’s grand tour victory since 2019.
Blasi will not race for Movistar until 2027. Yet her signing already reshapes expectations for the team’s next era in women’s racing.
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