Manchester United’s unhappy teenage star JJ Gabriel has flown to Barcelona for talks with the Catalan giants.
Since Gabriel rocked United with a bombshell demand to quit the club, he has been strongly linked with Barca and their La Liga rivals Real Madrid.
Barcelona have been keen on Gabriel for some time and gave him a tour of their club facilities in August 2024 when he was introduced to superstar Lamine Yamal who signed a shirt and posed for a photo.
The 15-year-old has not been seen at United since he scored a hat-trick for the Under-21s on his UEFA Youth League debut against Sabah on Thursday.
Gabriel, who has been at United since the age of 11, is seen as one of the hottest young prospects in European football. Although English players are only able to move abroad at the age of 18, he is eligible to join a European team at 16 because he holds an Irish passport.
He was set to sign a first-year scholarship at United at the age 16, which would have automatically triggered a lucrative professional contract on his 17th birthday. However, the winger has asked United to rip up his current deal which is due to expire at the end of the season.
The club have so far refused to do so, and head coach Michael Carrick said at his press conference on Friday that the youngster’s wellbeing remains paramount regardless of his future at Old Trafford.
‘I think I'd just repeat what I said the other day, really,’ said Carrick. ‘He's a young boy, JJ, and I think it's important that we certainly don't play anything out here. I think the exposure and the scrutiny and everything, you’ve got to be careful and be sensible and think of him as much as anything.
‘So the situation will work itself out, whatever way it's going to work itself out. Making sure he's okay is the important thing.’