Man Utd have officially offered to sign JJ Gabriel, while Barcelona and Real Madrid find out the price for the 16-year-old.
Manchester United have officially offered JJ Gabriel a scholarship to try and change his mind about leaving, as top clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich are showing interest.
The 16-year-old and his team have told United they want to move on, mainly because he hasn’t had much chance to play with the first team. People also say Gabriel feels Manchester United isn’t as strong as it was during Sir Alex Ferguson’s time, and he wants to learn from the best to reach his full potential.
United’s CEO Omar Berrada and football director Jason Wilcox are personally talking with Gabriel’s family to try and keep him, but it’s looking more likely he’ll leave.
If he does, many big clubs are ready to step in. Bayern Munich have already talked with his team, according to Sky Sport Germany, but they haven’t made an official offer yet. Bayern is watching closely but faces tough competition from Real Madrid and Barcelona.
It’s reported that signing Gabriel would cost a lot, with the total package—transfer fee, bonuses, and more—likely over €10-15 million. FIFA rules say United would get about £350,000 if he moves abroad, according to The Guardian.
Although Barcelona has been linked to Gabriel, their sporting director Deco said they’re not really interested. Talking to journalist Ben Jacobs, Deco said, “There’s nothing to say about this boy. It’s normal for young players to be linked with us because there’s a big market, but we’re not involved in this situation and don’t know if he’s still a Manchester United player.”
He added, “We need to understand what’s going on before doing anything. Talking about young players isn’t really our business right now.”