La Liga giants Real Madrid are among the clubs keen to sign Manchester United academy prospect JJ Gabriel.
Earlier this week, the 15-year-old formally notified United that he wants to cancel his registration with immediate effect, though the club is able to contest the request.
It is understood that several major European teams, among them Barcelona, Paris St-Germain, and Bayern Munich, hold a firm interest in the forward, yet multiple sources have characterized Real’s push to sign him as strong.
The Spanish club wants to bring in the teenager right away and place him in Real Madrid Castilla, the club’s recognized reserve side.
In contrast to England, Castilla competes in senior football and plays in the regionalized third tier of the Spanish system. Last season they were managed by Alvaro Arbeloa, who subsequently took charge of the senior Real side after Xabi Alonso’s dismissal and has since moved on to Fulham.
Thiago Pitarch, who was 18 when last season began, turned out for Castilla in a Premier League International Cup meeting with Southampton in October and made 16 senior appearances over the course of the campaign.
Sources close to Gabriel, who turns 16 on 6 October, feel let down by United, contending that promises regarding the pathway to the first team have not been honored.
The club say it was expected that Gabriel would become their youngest senior player by featuring in Wednesday night’s EFL Cup tie with Brighton. Given that they lost 3-2 after leading 2-0, whether that would actually have happened is open to debate.
United have not abandoned hope of keeping Gabriel, although they are not certain exactly why he wants to leave.
It is understood the player is not training with the club at present.
After the Brighton match, head coach Michael Carrick, the man who handed the youngster his senior debut in the pre-season fixture against Atletico Madrid in Stockholm—said everyone should keep Gabriel’s age in mind.
“I just feel we have to be extremely cautious about the whole situation,” he said.
“He’s a young boy. He is 15, and for me, certainly, and from the club’s perspective, taking care of our younger players—their welfare, their well-being, how much they are exposed—we have to be very mindful of that in this situation.”
Sources close to Gabriel have played down worries about the player’s age and physicality and believe that figures like Max Dowman, who debuted for Arsenal at 15 last season, demonstrate a readiness to put faith in youth that they do not witness at United.
Chelsea are also thought to hold a significant interest in the teenager.
Any immediate departure from Old Trafford for Gabriel is complicated by the rules governing the registration of young players.
United States that Gabriel’s registration lasts until the end of the season. It would be simpler for him to leave United at that point, when he turns 16.
Since Gabriel holds an EU passport, though, he may be permitted to sign for a club inside European Union borders on his 16th birthday.
