The New Zealander had just won stage 5 of the Tour of Britain, his first major individual win in Europe since turning professional.
Bauer has a reputation as one of the most hard-working, no-nonsense professionals in the WorldTour and Etixx-QuickStep's Patrick Lefevere told Cyclingnews that negotiations have reached a latter stage.
"We're close," he told Cyclingnews. "Riders we've talked to recently they've started winning so that changes things but we are close with Jack. We're still talking but yes it's close to being done."
After taking an impressive win on stage 5 of the Tour of Britain, Bauer told the media that he would be leaving his current team Cannondale-Drapac, saying, "I'll be leaving the team after five years. It's the team that I turned professional with, I've learned a lot, had some great experiences and started some great races with them and it's time to move on."
When asked who he would ride for in 2017, Bauer added: "I do, but that will become apparent in the next couple of weeks."
Cyclingnews contacted Bauer's agent but he would not confirm the rider's future. According to the agent, one other team have expressed interest in signing Bauer. He would not confirm the second option.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
