JJ Gabriel: Chelsea update given as Man Utd starlet holds talks with two other clubs | OneFootball

Chelsea are still ‘leading the chase’ to sign Man Utd starlet JJ Gabriel out of the Premier League clubs, according to reports.

The Red Devils supporters were excited when the 15-year-old scored a hat-trick in one half as he made his UEFA Youth League debut against FC Sabah’s Under-19s.

Excitement had been growing for some time about the Man Utd academy product with the youngster even earning the nickname ‘Kid Messi’.

However, that enthusiasm has been dampened with the Daily Telegraph claiming on Tuesday afternoon that Gabriel ‘has unexpectedly asked to quit’ Man Utd.

The report added: ‘In a move that has shocked United and is almost unprecedented, Gabriel – whose full name is Joseph Junior Andreou Gabriel – has sent formal notice that he wishes to cancel his registration at the club with immediate effect to become a free agent.

‘It is understood that Gabriel is not in line to join another club immediately, but has decided he wants to leave United – the club he has played for since the age of 11.’

And TEAMtalk have now revealed that Gabriel ‘is considering moving to Spain with Real Madrid or Barcelona’ with ‘talks held’ with both La Liga clubs.

Giving more information and an update on interest from Premier League rivals Chelsea, TEAMtalk added: ‘Chelsea are leading the chase for Gabriel in England, as we previously confirmed, but Real Madrid and Barcelona are now pushing hard to secure the highly-rated teenager. Sources have confirmed that they have both held talks with him in the last 48 hours, and we are told they have been “positive”.’

Football Insider journalist Pete O’Rourke agrees with Fabrizio Romano that the “most likely destination” for Gabriel will be a move to Europe.

O’Rourke told Football Insider: “Obviously JJ Gabriel is one of the most hotly-tipped young talents in world football right now.

“When you’ve got such a young talent like this, you’re going to have all the best clubs across Europe interested in him, and that is the case at the moment.

“You said Real Madrid have been strongly linked, and Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are all interested as well.

“Of course you’ll have a host of Premier League clubs interested in JJ Gabriel as well. But it’ll be difficult for those Premier League clubs to try and land Gabriel.

“A move to Europe is the most likely destination for Gabriel. But look, he is a top talent, and it’ll be a huge loss to United if he does end up leaving.”

Neville raises ‘duty of care’ concerns over Man Utd starlet

Speaking on The Overlap, Gary Neville raised “duty of care” concerns around recent speculation, he said: “The player’s representatives have definitely leaked this. They’ve decided they want to go with the nuclear option and go bang: JJ Gabriel to leave Manchester United.

“That, to me, is my concern. Whose representatives think that is good for the kid? That is not good.

“From the point of view of a duty of care for a 15-year-old, a 15-year-old kid this morning is the back-page story of every newspaper in the country. How are you looking after that kid?

“I don’t care if you think he should be playing or not because, to be fair, if you think he should be playing, great. No problem with that; I’m sure lots of parents and representatives think their kid should be playing.