Manchester United star JJ Gabriel continues to be linked with a move away from Old Trafford with Real Madrid the most likely destination
JJ Gabriel
JJ Gabriel has been linked with a move to Real Madrid(Image: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
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Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham is reported to have played a role in convincing JJ Gabriel to leave Manchester United. Gabriel’s future has been the subject of intense speculation for some time and there has been a growing expectation that the talented teenager could be set to leave Old Trafford.
It emerged back in September that Gabriel had expressed a desire to leave United and have his registration cancelled, which would have seen him become a free agent.
Since then, there has been speculation about whether or not Gabriel will actually leave United, and if so, which club could be his likely destination.
Madrid have emerged as the club most likely to sign the 16-year-old, with reports emerging this week that a deal is close to being agreed for him to move to the La Liga giants in the January transfer window.
There has now been a fresh update on Madrid’s quest to sign Gabriel and how Bellingham has been involved in trying to make the deal happen.
Spanish news outlet Sport have reported that Bellingham has had a “significant role” in attempting to convince Gabriel to sign for Madrid.
The report goes on to claim that England midfielder Bellingham will become Gabriel’s “mentor” once the teenager officially makes the switch to the Spanish capital.
If Gabriel does go on to leave United, it will reportedly be some time before the playmaker will feature for Jose Mourinho’s first team.
Instead, the aforementioned report claims that Gabriel will instead feature for Madrid’s reserve team, Real Madrid Castilla.
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Despite reports suggesting that Gabriel is close to becoming a Madrid player, it’s understood that United have been left surprised by reports claiming that a transfer is imminent.
It’s also understood that United are yet to be in contact with Madrid about a deal for Gabriel, despite suggestions to the contrary.
United would be due compensation in the event that Gabriel does go on to sign for Madrid, with suggestions that the fee is expected to be only around £100,000-£300,000.
This is despite reports which have suggested that Madrid would be willing to pay up to around £8.5million to be able to sign Gabriel from United.