Katusha-Alpecin's Pavel Kochetkov has signed a two-year contract with current team leader and Russian compatriot Ilnur Zakarin to join the CCC team for 2020, the new team announced.

Kochetkov will join the Polish world tour after six seasons with Katusha.

"The CCC team is an ambitious project and I like the look and organization of the team.

"I have raced with Ilnur Zakarin a lot. I support him and he trusts me. So I want to help Ilnur race well in the coming years and I want to do my best for the whole team, I'm really looking forward to starting next season with the CCC team," said the 33-year-old, who won the Russian Road Racing Championship title in 2016.

Katusha-Alpecin will merge with Pro Continental team Israel Cycling Academy next season and will tentatively race as a WorldTour team under the name Israel Cycling Academy-Katusha in 2020, with Katusha's clothing brand will provide the team with racing kit.

"After six years with Katusha-Alpecin," Kochetkov continued, "I want to thank [team owner] Igor Makarov for his passion, for what he did for me personally, for allowing me to be a part of the team, and for cycling in general. [Personally, I see this as an opportunity to restart my career. I want to continue to grow as a cyclist and I want to be better than I have been in the last few years, especially after the bad crashes I had the last couple of years. I'm highly motivated and will give my maximum effort for the team."

CCC coach Jim Ochowicz said the team was very pleased to have secured Kochetkov's signature and to have him on the team for the next two years.

"Pavel will be an asset to the team in terms of his support, especially in terms of racing with Ilnur Zakarin. He added, "Russia is an important market for our title sponsor, CCC, so we are also excited to increase our presence in Russia and increase exposure for the CCC team and CCC.

"Pavel will also have the opportunity to be freer in the races and his Grand Tour experience will make him an important rider for our Grand Tour team. I think we can provide a good environment for Pavel to show his potential as a rider, especially as we continue to grow as a team."

Ochowicz also said in a press release that the team is close to finalizing its 2020 roster, which already includes Matteo Trentin (Mitchelton-Scott), Fausto Masnada (Androni Giocattoli Sidermek), Jan Hilt of Astana, Georg Zimmermann (Tyrol KTM), and Michał Parta from the CCC's development team, he added.