MADRID, SPAIN - MAY 14: Florentino Perez, President of Real Madrid, in attendance for the LaLiga EA Sports match between Real Madrid CF and Real Oviedo at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on May 14, 2026 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
The board at La Liga giants Real Madrid have beaten their counterparts at arch rivals Barcelona to the signing of Manchester United sensation JJ Gabriel.
This comes amid the understanding that the 16-year-old is all set to pen terms in Spain’s capital following the turn of the year.
Youngster Gabriel has of course been seen his name take its place front and centre in the media headlines across Spain for several months now.
After informing Manchester United of his intention to move on as soon as possible, both Barcelona and Real Madrid were immediately tipped as potential landing spots for the gifted attacker.
And as alluded to above, this week, the latter appear to have beaten out the stiff competition to Gabriel’s services. As per a report from market insider Matteo Moretto:
‘JJ Gabriel is training in Madrid while awaiting to tie up all the loose ends of his signing with Real Madrid. Barcelona are no longer in the race.’
JJ Gabriel se está entrenando en Madrid a la espera de cerrar todos los flecos de su fichaje por el Real Madrid, tal y como ha contado @benfeerr.
El Barcelona ya no está en la carrera. pic.twitter.com/JhXBgTVk5q
— Matteo Moretto (@MatteMoretto) November 4, 2026
Conor Laird – GSFN