Jakob Fuglsang revealed that he was on the verge of leaving Astana and making a surprise move to Movistar for 2020.

The Dane spent seven seasons with the Kazakhstan team, and his move to Eusebio Unzue's team would rank as one of the surprise transfers of the offseason.

The 34-year-old enjoyed his best season to date in 2019, racking up wins at the Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Criterium du Dauphiné, Vuelta a Andalucía, Vuelta a España and Tirreno-Adriatico stages. He also made the podium at Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico, Amstel Gold Race, and La Flèche Wallonne.

According to the Spanish newspaper Marca, Fuglsang was in contact with Movistar, but was offered future options by his current team.

"It is true that I was contacted by Movistar and Unzo about a possible contract. But in the end I renewed my two-year contract with Astana and I am very happy."

"Movistar was a great option for me, but I think there are more options here. I'm 34 years old and I'm not that young so I have to choose well. I will be able to lead the team in some important races. I want to fulfill that mission."

Fuglsang is expected to lead the team during the Classics and again for the 2020 Grand Tour. He had a remarkable spring campaign this season, finishing ninth overall after 15 stages before crashing in Nimes.

Next year, however, may be different. With the proximity of the Tour to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, one of Fuglsang's main goals, his Grand Tour ambitions are not yet clear.

"I love the Japanese courses," he said. They are really tough. It's definitely one of my goals for this season. If it rains, as it did during the reconnaissance, the race will be even more difficult. We have a lot of options to win a medal in Denmark."

"Unlike Yorkshire, this course suits us climbers. The Olympics will be held just six days after the Tour ends, which makes it even more interesting."

Fuglsang even went so far as to say that he couldn't choose between a Grand Tour victory, which takes three weeks to achieve, and a one-day victory at the Olympics, which is held every four years.

"If you ask me to choose between an Olympic gold medal or a Grand Tour gold medal, I'm not sure. The Olympic gold medal is transcendent. It's also true that the Tour de France is the greatest.

"I don't know what to answer. It's a good question and I'll have to think about it more. In any case, for me, winning a gold medal would be the best thing for 2020."