Nico Rosberg has claimed that Christian Horner approached Carlos Sainz about a possible deal to join Red Bull from next year, but the offer was considered 'stingy'.
The F1 grid is set for a huge shake-up next year with more than half the grid out of contract.
Lewis Hamilton's switch to Ferrari looks set to create a domino effect with Sainz's future already impacted.
The Spaniard is now looking for his next seat in F1 having been ousted from Ferrari for the 2025 season.
Christian Horner has been seen in talks with Carlos Sainz Snr
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Mercedes will need to find a replacement for Hamilton while Red Bull could also have a seat available next to Max Verstappen with Sergio Perez's contract expiring.
Sainz is considered the best available driver on the market and teams will likely want to snap him up early to avoid missing out on the 29-year-old.
Red Bull team principal Horner has been spotted talking with Sainz Snr in the paddock, sparking speculation of negotiations already taking place.
Rosberg claims an offer has already been made to the Sainz camp, although it failed to meet their expectations.
"You know that they have an offer out to Carlos Sainz and I saw daddy Sainz speaking to Christian Horner yesterday," he said.
"Christian Horner has apparently been a bit stingy on the offer, so they’re trying to get a couple more million out of him."
Sainz's future is partly convoluted due to his rumoured links to Sauber ahead of their rebrand and takeover by Audi.
Horner isn't aware of any offer from Audi or Sauber for Sainz and teased Red Bull's interest in his services.
“One would assume that they’re going to be quite aggressive in the driver market," Horner said.
Carlos Sainz is looking for a new seat for next season
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“But, as you can tell with the level of interest that we have had from other drivers in our seats, for a driver of Carlos’ calibre, he wants to be in a winning car.
"And whilst we have one seat available for next year, his target, inevitably, is that seat.”
He added: “It’s not been disclosed to us what Audi may or may not have offered to Carlos and it would be inappropriate to comment on that.
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“As I’m sure if we made an offer, it wouldn’t be disclosed to another team. So Carlos is on the open market for next year.
"He’s a hot prospect and no doubt many teams will be showing great interest. I think there are several that probably are.
“Honestly, no numbers have been disclosed.”
