Atletico Madrid still have plenty to play for this season, going strongly in the UEFA Champions League and sat in second place in La Liga, but the quest to be ready for next campaign has already begun.
Marca reported that captain and key central midfielder Gabi is set to be offered a new one-year extension to his contract, currently due to expire in 2017, keeping the skipper in place for two more campaigns beyond this one.
He'll be set to turn 35 when the prospective new deal expires, very much placing him in the veteran category of a largely youthful squad, and to ensure the ongoing improvement of Atleti, Diego Simeone needs to take a big decision: Keeping Gabi must mean that fellow central midfielder Tiago is allowed to take a back seat or depart the club entirely.