Man United will lose out on millions because JJ Gabriel is moving to Real Madrid, thanks to a FIFA rule.
Manchester United’s rumored fee for JJ Gabriel moving from Real Madrid is way lower—about ten times less—than what they’d get if he joined another Premier League club.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Gabriel has chosen Real Madrid over big clubs like Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain, and he’s let all interested teams know his decision. He’s agreed verbally to a long-term contract, with the move set to happen on January 1. This transfer was sped up because he has a European passport, thanks to his Irish and Cypriot roots.
Just days after scoring a hat-trick in the UEFA Youth League, Gabriel asked Manchester United to cancel his registration right away so he could become a free agent. But United said no, so Gabriel, still a Red Devils player, has had to wait before officially signing with Real.
A report from MARCA says United’s managers are very frustrated about losing Gabriel, who they think could be worth £100 million. Instead, the club is expected to get only a small training fee, rumored to be around £300,000.
According to FIFA rules, a club must pay compensation when a young professional player moves between countries. Since Gabriel is young, Real Madrid has to make sure he gets the right education—both at school and in football—and looks after his well-being.
But if Gabriel were about to sign with another Premier League club, the rules would be different. Premier League youth rules say Gabriel could leave for nothing if United didn’t offer him a scholarship. United did try to make an offer, but Gabriel’s team said no because they felt the promises weren’t good enough.
So, if another Premier League team wanted Gabriel, they’d have to pay a fee or the Professional Football Compensation Committee would set a price. United expected at least £3 million plus 20% of any future sale.
For example, Liverpool recently paid Chelsea £2.8 million up front for a talented youngster, Rio Ngumoha, plus £1.2 million more based on performance, and Chelsea will get 20% if he’s sold later.
United won’t get any of this from Gabriel’s move, but Real Madrid see this as a big win. They plan to bring him into their academy and Castilla team to get him ready for the first team.
Gabriel hopes to follow players like Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold by breaking into the Real Madrid squad, after not playing for United’s first team—his only senior game was a short appearance in a pre-season friendly against Atletico Madrid.