Sportsupdated 48m ago2 min read
Real Madrid Confident Of Signing Manchester United Forward JJ Gabriel
“PSG appears to be out of the equation.”
“Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are said to be remaining on standby because nothing has been signed.”
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Real Madrid are confident of signing JJ Gabriel from Manchester United. Gabriel reportedly has a verbal agreement in principle to join Real Madrid.
Save coverage image
Real Madrid near deal
Real Madrid are confident of signing Manchester United forward JJ Gabriel, with the 16-year-old registered to United but having not returned since walking out in September. BBC Sport said Gabriel had been expected to become United's youngest debutant in September's Carabao Cup tie against Brighton, but he opted to look elsewhere for senior football and trained on his own in Spain.
Real Madrid are also being described as the clear leading contenders, with a United source calling him "The best 15-year-old in Europe" and former interim manager Darren Fletcher saying: "The world is his oyster." Gabriel has been training in Madrid waiting for the switch from Manchester United to be completed, and he turned 16 in October which allows him to depart Old Trafford to sign for clubs abroad following his demand to leave last month.
Barcelona, PSG, Bayern watch
Barcelona have been monitoring JJ Gabriel and exploring the possibility of bringing him to Catalonia, but reports framed the race as Real Madrid closing in on an official announcement. Deco had played down speculation about his club being keen on Gabriel, while it also claimed the "main obstacle has been economic" for the Catalan side.
Fabrizio Romano expects Real Madrid to sign the striker unless something remarkable happens, and it quoted Romano saying: "Real Madrid, guys, I told you in another video and I'm telling you today, remain very clear favourites to sign JJ Gabriel." FootballTransfers also reported that Romano put the chances of Gabriel continuing at Manchester United at "below 5%, if you ask me," while it described Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern Munich as still involved in the wider negotiations.
Compensation and passports
BBC Sport said United would be due compensation should Gabriel leave, although the figure would be lower if he signs for a club outside the Premier League. Real Madrid met the player's financial demands and the deal could reach 15 million euros in total, while it added that Madrid will pay Manchester United a sum slightly above 300,000 euros in compensation for training and development costs.
One hurdle remains, with the deal hinging on JJ Gabriel securing a passport from an EU country to clear his path to the Royal club in January. Gabriel's acquisition of a European Union passport is expected to simplify a move to a club outside England, and it quoted Michael Carrick urging caution by saying: "We've got to be really careful of the whole situation."