(Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
Real Madrid are now said to be in ‘pole position’ to land JJ Gabriel’s signature amid stern competition.
According to Manchester Evening News journalist Steven Railston, Manchester United are still hopeful they can resolve the situation and have the youngster stay put, but his camp are of the belief that his future lies away from Carrington/Old Trafford.
Who else is eyeing up a move for wantaway JJ Gabriel?
DUBLIN, IRELAND - AUGUST 12: JJ Gabriel of Manchester United is pictured before the pre-season friendly match between Leeds United and Manchester United at Croke Park on August 12, 2026 in Dublin, Ireland.
Although Madrid are leading the race, the 15-year-old actually flew to Catalonia on Friday to hold talks with Barcelona over a potential switch.
Spanish outlet AS has reported that United youngster JJ Gabriel is now in Barcelona. "His time at Old Trafford is over," it adds #mufc — Steven Railston (@StevenRailston) September 18, 2026
Railston adds that Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are monitoring the developments from abroad, while Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City are keen on prising Gabriel from United and keeping him in England.
After news of his desire to leave the club hit the mainstream media, the attacker cleared his Instagram account of all United-related posts and followed a host of Madrid players, seemingly indicating his preferred destination.
🚨 | JJ Gabriel has followed Real Madrid, Real Madrid's Academy, and almost every Real Madrid player on Instagram. [@theMadridZone] pic.twitter.com/BkW8hKATPI — UtdDistrict (@UtdDistrict) September 15, 2026
It’s certainly an interesting choice as, while joining Los Blancos would almost guarantee silverware and major honours long-term, their world-class forward contingent means game time in the first team would be even harder to come by than it has been at United.
Why is Gabriel pushing so hard to leave?
(Photo via club media)
United had reportedly mapped out how Gabriel’s career path would look from the academy to the senior squad, but he was dissatisfied with his lack of action over pre-season and since 2026/2027 got underway.
JJ Gabriel's stats at Manchester United: U18s:38 games31 goals4 assists U21s: 2 games2 goals2 assists UYL:1 game3 goals pic.twitter.com/JZm0js46d5 — utdreport (@utdreport) September 15, 2026
When 19-year-old duo Harry Amass and Shea Lacey were brought off the bench to make their Champions League debuts in last week’s win over Sabah, that was deemed the final straw for Gabriel and his family.
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