JJ Gabriel receives Barcelona ‘guarantee’ after three Man United decisions riled his dad

JJ Gabriel has received a lucractive offer and ‘guarantees’ to sign for Barcelona with Real Madrid among the others chasing a move for the Manchester United talent

Barcelona want to sign Manchester United sensation JJ Gabriel and is ‘guaranteeing him a sporting project’ that that could fast-track him into the first-team, it has been claimed.

Last week, The Telegraph first reported that Gabriel, 15, has sent formal notice that he wishes to cancel his registration at United with immediate effect to become a free agent.

United were left stunned by Gabriel’s decision and he was due to be involved in the Carabao Cup squad to face Brighton. If he had featured, the teenage talent would have become the club’s youngest-ever player, eclipsing David Gaskell, who was 16 years and 19 days old when he debuted back in 1956.

Despite this, United believe the situation can still be resolved with Gabriel still having time left on his contract. He cannot be de‑registered unless all parties agree, but he can negotiate a move abroad once when he turns 16 next month, helped by the fact he has an Irish passport.

Although United are refusing to give up on retaining Gabriel, he has interest from Spain. Indeed, according to SPORT, Barcelona have given the teenager guarantees that he will be part of a sporting project that could lead to him joining the first-team squad in the near future.

Alongside that, Barca are willing to put Gabriel into his most favoured central attacking midfield position and give him a long, lucrative contract, which he can sign when he is 16.

It’s added that Barca sporting director Deco has intensified contact with Gabriel’s representatives, after the player and his family were spotted in Catalonia last week, and the club are pushing for a deal.

Real Madrid are another team interested in Gabriel, with Los Blancos feeling their offer was higher than Barcelona’s. They believe they have the edge in the race for the teenage talent.

Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are among the other European big-hitters keen on Gabriel, but his agent has informed them that his priority is a move to Barcelona or Real Madrid.

Last week, Gabriel wiped all of the images from his Instagram, leading to some concern about his United future. It then emerged that his father, Joe O’Cearuill, has taken issue with how United have handled his son’s development, with three areas in particular proving problematic.

According to The Daily Mail, O’Cearuill wanted to see his son accelerated even faster to the first team picture, despite playing for the Under 21s at 15. There was also frustration that Gabriel was not included in the first-team squad to face Ipswich Town in the Premier League and Sabah in the Champions League, where some believed there was a suitable option for him to make his senior debut.

Gabriel instead scored a hat-trick for United’s Under 19s against Sabah as they won 5-0 in the UEFA Youth League. It was a complete performance with the Reds having 44 shots to Sabah’s zero.