Gabriel Fernandez, 'Gabi', captain of Atletico de Madrid, is close to leaving the red and white club for Al Sadd of Qatar, which he has been considering an offer from in recent hours, in an operation that is not yet closed, but is underway, according to EFE news agency sources close to the negotiation.
The proposal from the Arab club, where Xavi Hernandez plays, has disrupted the future of the midfielder, who will turn 35 on July 10 and is seriously considering leaving Atletico to the point that he is much closer to playing at Al Sadd than to continuing with the red and white team next season.
Gabi emerged from the Atletico academy, with which he has played 413 official matches with the first team, scoring ten goals, since his debut on January 21, 2004 against Sevilla in the Copa del Rey, with Gregorio Manzano as coach.
Loaned to Getafe in the following season, 2004-05, he returned to Atletico in 2005-06. After that season and the next at the Madrid club, he was transferred to Zaragoza, where he played for four years, until he was recruited again by the red and white team since the 2011-12 season.
Since then, Gabi, captain of Atletico, has won six titles under Argentine Diego Simeone: one league title (2013-14), one Copa del Rey (2012-13), two Europa Leagues (2011-12 and 2016-17), one UEFA Super Cup (2012), and one Spanish Super Cup (2014), in addition to playing in two Champions League finals lost to Real Madrid.
If everything goes as planned and his departure from Atletico is finalized, it will be the second departure from the club for the new season, following Fernando Torres, and will likely force the Madrid team to look for a new midfielder in the market, even though they have already signed Rodrigo Hernandez from Villarreal. EFE
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