Retour
JJ Gabriel will now have to wait until January to leave Manchester United, with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain working on ‘agreements’ for the wonderkid, as per a report.
Gabriel informed Man Utd of his desire to leave the club on September 15. He asked United to terminate his contract, citing unfulfilled promises over senior game time.
The attacking midfielder only turned 16 on October 6, but he feels he should be playing in Michael Carrick’s first team.
Gabriel is viewed as United’s best academy player. He won the U18 Premier League Player of the Year award last season, despite being aged just 14 when the campaign began.
After learning the teenage sensation could be available, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona, PSG and Bayern Munich all expressed interest in him.
Initially, it was thought that Gabriel would be eligible to leave United immediately after turning 16, due to EU rules. He has an Irish passport through his father’s side of the family, which could aid a transfer to a top European club.
But according to an update from Football Insider, Gabriel ‘will have to wait until the January transfer window opens before he leaves’.
This represents a major blow for the versatile forward as he wants to join a new club and pick up first-team minutes as soon as possible.
United recently sent Gabriel’s camp a new contract offer, but it was swiftly rejected. His exit from the club is now seen as ‘inevitable’.
Gabriel has already snubbed the opportunity to join Chelsea, while Barca and Bayern have fallen behind Real Madrid and PSG in the race to snare him.
FI claim the starlet’s suitors have been ‘narrowed down’ to Madrid and PSG.
The report adds that Madrid and PSG ‘plan to reach an agreement before January’.
Under the current circumstances, United are due to receive just £300-350,000 in compensation for Gabriel.
That is a cut-price fee considering Gabriel is seen as one of the very best teenagers in the whole country.
At that stage, Madrid and Barca were the main clubs fighting for his services, though PSG have since made a strong push.