"We have not started any negotiations" - Gaviria likely on way out of UAE Team Emirates

Fernando Gaviria seems to be on the way out of UAE Team Emirates, as the team confirm that negotiation talks have not yet started and the Colombian sprinter hasn't been able to achieve the results he was expected to this season.

Team manager Mauro Gianetti told VeloNews that "Fernando Gaviria's contract ends this season. At the moment we have not started any negotiations. That is something that we will see in the coming months". The Colombian has had a difficult start to the season, having been hit with Covid-19 for a third time and subsequently breaking a collarbone before Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

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The Colombian sprinter couldn't obtain the results that he had in his earlier years with Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team, however he still brought 15 wins to UAE Team Emirates since being hired in 2019 - five of them at World Tour level. Above all Gaviria frequently hit the post, he finished five times on the podium in sprints since returning to competition at the Tour de Romandie, but without a win to his name.

“We are looking to strengthen the team in areas such as the classics and sprints. Those are the areas we're looking at. We are calm, but we are in the market and we have made some offers to the cyclists. We are not under any pressure," Gianetti concluded. The transfer of Tim Wellens is said to be a done deal and the focus on other areas is likely to see the sprinter section of the team receive less funds, with Gaviria likely to be moving to a different home in 2023.

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