Fabrizio Romano: English giants join Barca in the race for JJ Gabriel, United have grand plans of their own

Manchester United were rocked by news that one of Carrington’s finest wonderkids — JJ Gabriel could be on his way out of the club. Barcelona are reportedly “making a serious effort” to prise him away from the Red Devils, and ensure he joins their famed La Masia academy. United’s director of football Jason Wilcox had worked extremely hard to convince him to stay last year amid interest from Europe’s elite sides. Now, Fabrizio Romano has claimed that apart from the La Liga giants, an unnamed English side are also looking at the 15-year-old. Not only Barcelona eyeing JJ Gabriel The England U16 international can leave the club at 16, and the 20-time English league champions are keen to ensure that does not come to pass. He has certainly caught Ruben Amorim’s eye, with 10 goals in as many games for the U18s this term. Already, the forward has trained with the first team. And as per Romano, United are trying very hard behind-the-scenes to convince him of the benefits of staying at Old Trafford for the long-term, with even a first team appearance on the cards to convince him of the pathway at United. “Today the rumour coming from England is about Barcelona. Guys, what I can tell you is it’s not Barcelona or another [club]… it’s several top clubs around Europe following JJ Gabriel and really interested in Gabriel, they love the player. CompetitionAppsGoalsAssistsYellowY-RRedMinutes U18 Premier League10101000838′ Total10101000838′ 25/26 season stats from Transfermarkt “Last summer, Jason Wilcox at Man Utd was able to change the story and despite interest from several clubs, keeping Gabriel at Man Utd, making him trust the project. “I can tell you it’s not just about Barcelona. There was a big English club interested in Gabriel last summer. Wilcox, working hard on this, was able to convince Gabriel to stay and trust the project. “So I can guarantee Man Utd are doing their best to keep Gabriel at the club, to make him trust the project long term, and to include him as part of the first team in the future. United desperate to convince him to stay “He already started training some times with the first team, but this kid is seen as something really special. So it’s not just about Barcelona, several clubs interested in this boy. “Barcelona at the moment are not in a more advanced position than any other club, so it’s the very early stage of interest, because Man Utd are fighting [to retain the player].” JJ Gabriel, who has an Irish passport, can effectively leave when he turns 16 instead of 18, which is the rule for English players. That means the earliest he can leave is in the summer of 2027. United have time on their hands to convince the starlet to stay and Amorim will need to improve his record of promoting youth to make matters sure. Feature image Alex Livesey via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25