JJ Gabriel
In quite remarkable news, Manchester United starlet JJ Gabriel has revealed to the Premier League side that he wants to leave.
This will certainly put rivals on high alert as they aim to land the highly rated teenager. However, Chelsea are currently unable to sign the 15-year-old.
Gabriel grew up in London and actually developed his skills at the Blues' academy, while also spending time with Arsenal and West Ham. He quickly became touted as the next big thing in English football and has even been dubbed as the ‘Kid Messi’.
Man Utd have had him on their books since 2022, and he became the youngest-ever player to play for the club's U18 team, scoring twice on his debut in the U18 Premier League against Leeds United when he was still just 14. To date, though, he has yet to make his senior debut in a competitive match, having only featured in friendly games
JJ Gabriel
JJ Gabriel
JJ Gabriel Wants to Leave Man Utd
JJ Gabriel
This week, it was revealed that Gabriel wants to leave Old Trafford and, as per GMS sources, the youngster has requested that his registration in the squad be cancelled. Man Utd are currently unclear on what has prompted the decision.
There was even a plan to include the teenager in Michael Carrick's first-team squad this week during their League Cup fixture against Brighton and Hove Albion. While the news will have sparked fears internally, the club feel the situation is rectifiable given the time remaining on his registration, which cannot simply be cancelled.
That said, some reports suggest his stance has come about after a supposed breakdown in trust between the family and the club, with his contract set to expire next summer.
Others feel as though the player would have hoped to have made his senior debut for the club by now. He wasn't involved in the opening-week Champions League win over Sabah, with many viewing the 4-0 win as a good opportunity for Gabriel to feature.
Chelsea Can't Sign JJ Gabriel Right Now
REUTERS/Hannah Mckay
With Gabriel seemingly pushing for an exit, every club in Europe will have eyes on what happens next. Many will likely be making moves behind the scenes to position themselves for a potential swoop for the youth player.
Past reports have suggested that the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have all been aware of him since he was around 13. GMS understands Real and Barcelona have been pitching to JJ for several months, while Man City tried a year ago.
Chelsea are also monitoring, having been touted as an interested party. There is one issue for the Blues, though, which would prevent them from making an immediate move for the youngster.
Indeed, the West London club are currently serving a nine-month ban which stops them from signing any academy players. This was handed out in March after the Premier League found them guilty of breaching their rules in relation to three different areas: Financial Reporting, Third Party Investment and Youth Development.
Chelsea – who were also given a £10.75m fine – are not allowed to register academy players purchased from Premier League and EFL clubs until December. As such, Gabriel cannot join the club until this ban has been served.
The teenager hasn't been listed among Man Utd's Premier League-registered players either, as he is still 15, so he doesn't need to be included, but is still eligible to play in the competition. However, he is yet to be called into any senior squads this term, instead only playing for the Red Devils' youth teams.