Barcelona reportedly have a strong interest in signing Manchester United’s highly-rated 16-year-old wonderkid forward JJ Gabriel.

However, one issue seems to be that the Catalan giants can’t offer the teenager quite as much money as the likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain can.

That’s according to a report from Sport, which states that Barca are instead trying to tempt Gabriel to the Nou Camp ‘based on the club’s sporting project and their confidence in young players’.

Barcelona certainly have a strong record when it comes to promoting and developing youth, so that could be an option for Gabriel to consider, but money also talks in football and that could lead Real Madrid and PSG to hold an advantage.

Either way, Sport reports that Gabriel is expected to be closing in on a decision, so we should find out more in the next few days.

JJ Gabriel transfer saga shows how much football has changed

Gabriel has the world watching as he waits to decide his next move, and it’s not often that there would be so much hype about a 16-year-old who has yet to play a single senior competitive minute for his club.

The truth is, however, that he’s been in the spotlight since going viral on YouTube when he wowed viewers with his skills when he was still just nine years old.

With football clubs now under pressure to adhere to strict Financial Fair Play rules, it’s vital for them to find the best young players wherever and whenever they can, and Gabriel seems to fit the bill.

It might seem bizarre to see so much fuss over someone who has achieved nothing in the game so far, but that’s the changing nature of the transfer market.

It’s now worth investing in top young talents, either with the view of strengthening the first-team for the future, or with the aim of selling at a significant profit at some point later on in their careers.