Barcelona and Real Madrid lead race for Manchester United teenager dubbed ‘little Neymar’

JJ Gabriel, the 15-year-old Manchester United prospect, has become the subject of intense interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs after telling the club he does not want to continue his development at Old Trafford.

Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are all monitoring the highly rated youngster, with the competition for his signature continuing to grow.

According to Spanish newspaper Sport and English journalist Chris Wheeler, Gabriel is currently in Barcelona as leading clubs step up their efforts to determine his next move. The teenager has attracted considerable praise and has been compared with Brazilian forward Neymar.

Gabriel is understood to have a strong preference for joining Barcelona. He has previously been seen wearing the club’s shirt during friendly matches played with friends, underlining his attraction to the Catalan side.

He has also made clear that he does not wish to remain at Manchester United and declined to take part in the club’s upcoming Premier League 2 match against Brentford.

Any move will face several obstacles, including the need to reach an agreement covering both the financial and sporting aspects of the transfer.

Gabriel will turn 16 on 6 October. He is also completing the process of obtaining an Irish passport through his father, a development that could make it easier for him to move to one of the clubs pursuing him.

The rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid is expected to be particularly significant. A central figure in the negotiations could be agent Ali Barat, who has a close relationship with Barcelona sporting director Deco and also has contacts among Real Madrid officials.

According to the same reports, Barat played a role in Denzel Dumfries’ move to the Spanish club during the past summer.

Manchester United have not entirely abandoned the possibility of retaining their young player. First-team manager Michael Carrick has urged caution and patience, while stressing that Gabriel would benefit from staying away from media coverage and the increasing pressure surrounding his future.

However, the growing interest from major European clubs is making it increasingly difficult for the teenager to remain outside the spotlight.