JJ Gabriel is set to join Real Madrid in October after asking to leave Manchester United, according to sources.
The 15-year-old has reportedly asked for his contract to be canceled immediately telegraph Tuesday.
Gabriel is believed to have made the decision because of contacts from Madrid.
this Premier League The club are under no obligation to accept the request and must approve Gabriel’s departure for the transfer to proceed.
But United’s hands are somewhat tied as they cannot sign Gabriel on professional terms before he turns 17, or make him a scholar before his 16th birthday on October 6.
This opens the door for Madrid to make a move and exploit a loophole to sign players between the ages of 16 and 18 from EU member states. Gabriel holds an Irish passport and is therefore eligible.
The shocking development will be a huge blow for United, who regard Gabriel as the crown jewel of their youth team.
The talented forward, who can play in a front three, made his debut for Manchester United’s U-18 team at the age of 14. He scored 23 goals last season and became the youngest winner of the club’s Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year Award.
Gabriel was expected to make his first-team debut of the season and was considered a possibility for Wednesday’s EFL Cup third round tie against Brighton at Old Trafford.
With negotiations with Madrid accelerating over the past week, that possibility is now off the table.
Instead, London-born Gabriel (full name Joseph Junior Andre Gabriel) will move to Spain and further develop at the Valdebebas training center in Madrid.
Manchester United fail to follow in Arsenal’s footsteps
It’s unclear what prompted Gabriel to want a deal with Madrid, but a lack of clarity over his future at United could be a reason.
Gabriel has trained with Manchester United’s under-21 senior team this season but was not included in the club’s A-list for the Champions League.
Clubs in the competition can call up youth players from their B list at short notice, but Gabriel is not eligible for this until he turns 16, meaning he will not feature in Thursday’s home game against Azerbaijani side Sabah.
Instead, Gabriel scored a brilliant hat-trick in a UEFA Youth League match against Sabah on the same day in a lopsided victory.
After that game, he deleted all mention of Manchester United from his social media accounts.
The contrast between United’s treatment of Gabriel and Arsenal’s treatment of Max Dowman is stark.
Dauman was just 15 when he played for Arsenal in a 3-0 win over Slavia Prague in the Champions League last season.
Dauman made a major contribution to the Gunners’ Premier League win last season, scoring a goal against Everton at home in May, becoming the Premier League’s youngest goalscorer at 16 years and 73 days old
Giggs hails Gabriel as ‘a generational talent’
After joining Manchester United at the age of 11, Gabriel’s reputation skyrocketed.
Ryan Giggs went from precocious teenager to 13-time Premier League winner under Sir Alex Ferguson Rio Ferdinand’s Podcast Wednesday.
“He’s a generational talent,” Giggs said. “There’s no point in going out on loan because he’s in the best position and he’ll be in and out of the first team, so that experience is priceless.
“[It’s] Not just games and training, but actually traveling with the team, seeing the expectations of United… the focus is on United. You need to get used to this. “
When Manchester City tried to attract Gabriel last summer, he chose to stay at Manchester United. But the appeal of Madrid prompted a change of heart.