Jérémie Gnali has completed a permanent move from AEK Larnaca to Qarabağ FK, sealing a switch to the Azerbaijani champions in a deal worth €100k. The 23-year-old left-back joins the Premyer Liqa side on a contract running from 2026-02-02 to 2029-06-30, stepping into a new league at a time when his market value stands at €450k.
The transfer ends Gnali’s brief but upwardly mobile spell in Cyprus and confirms his next step on a career path that has already taken him from France to Spain and then to the eastern Mediterranean. Qarabağ, a regular presence in European competition, move for a defender whose value has risen sharply over the past three years and who is now regarded as a developing asset at international level. The fee ensures AEK Larnaca receive compensation rather than risk the player running down his deal and leaving as a free agent later on.
Born in Paris and eligible for both France and Congo, Gnali arrives in Azerbaijan as a left-footed specialist at left-back, officially listed as a defender with a preference for operating on the flank. Standing 1.82m tall, he offers a blend of physical presence and mobility on the outside channel, a profile that has attracted steadily increasing attention since his time in Spain’s lower divisions. His latest move will also see him continue his career abroad, extending a sequence that has kept him away from his birth country’s top flight while still building his reputation on the continent.
Gnali’s development curve is reflected in his market value history. At SD Tarazona in late 2022 he was valued at €25k, a figure that doubled to €50k over the following year with Tarazona and UD Melilla in Spain. A return spell at Tarazona in 2024 coincided with a rise to €100k, before his switch to AEK Larnaca saw his valuation increase further: first to €150k, then up again to €325k and €350k, and finally to €450k by the end of 2025. Qarabağ’s decision to invest €100k therefore represents a calculated move for a player whose trajectory has been consistently upward.
His club career to date shows a willingness to move in search of playing time and progression. After coming through FC Metz’s youth structure, advancing from FC Metz U19 to FC Metz B in 2021, Gnali left France for Spain in 2022 to join SD Tarazona. A subsequent move to UD Melilla in 2023, followed by a return to Tarazona later that year, kept him in the Spanish system before AEK Larnaca brought him to Cyprus in 2024. Each switch has coincided with increments in responsibility and valuation.
By opting for Qarabağ, Gnali is now set to test himself in the Premyer Liqa, a competition that offers regular exposure to European qualifying rounds and a different tactical environment from both Cyprus and Spain. For Qarabağ, he represents a relatively low-cost addition with resale potential; for the player, it is another step away from his home country leagues but a clear move up in terms of club profile. If his upward trend in market value and performance continues, this contract could become a springboard towards broader recognition, whether at international level for France or Congo or via a future transfer within Europe once his deal in Azerbaijan runs its course.
