Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
JJ Gabriel is pushing to leave Manchester United and Chelsea are a club who have previously been credited with interest.
Manchester United were stung by the news this week that JJ Gabriel wants to leave despite his meteoric rise at Carrington.
Immediately, there were reports of Real Madrid’s interest in Gabriel, and the 15-year-old’s social media activity suggests that is a likely outcome if he leaves United.
But there have also been reports of Premier League interest in Gabriel, and last year, Chelsea showed interest in the teenage sensation.
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Chelsea’s stance on signing JJ Gabriel
Losing Gabriel would already be a major blow to United. But losing Gabriel to a Premier League rival would be the worst-case scenario.
Thankfully, the Daily Mail report that Chelsea are not interested in joining the race to sign Gabriel if he leaves United.
The report offers a reminder of Chelsea’s nine-month academy transfer ban given in March. That restriction applies to youth players previously registered with another Premier League.
Currently, it seems more likely that Gabriel’s next destination will be in Spain, with Madrid and Barcelona both keen.
Why Chelsea cut ties with JJ Gabriel
Interestingly, the report also touches on a story regarding Gabriel’s dad, Joe O’Cearuill, who has been an influential figure in his career path.
When Gabriel was previously linked with Chelsea, O’Cearuill requested a meeting with Blues academy chief Neil Bath.
READ MORE: JJ Gabriel’s decision to quit Old Trafford added to Gary Neville’s theory that links to former Man Utd star
However, they then claim O’Cearuill didn’t attend the meeting, which Bath “did not take kindly to”. As a result, Chelsea dropped out of the race to sign Gabriel, and it seems they are not interested in poaching him from United either.