Barcelona pursuing 15-year-old Manchester United wonderkid who could make senior debut | OneFootball

Barcelona have often had to battle against the pull of the Premier League in order to retain their best talents at La Masia. However they are looking to reverse the roles with Manchester United wonderkid JJ Gabriel, who they hold an interest in.

Gabriel, 15, is already a name known locally in Manchester. Having signed for United at the age of 10, he is already a part of the under-18 side, and recently trained with the senior team under Ruben Amorim. TS say that he may make his debut for the senior team in the FA Cup next week, when they take on Peterborough.

Barcelona keen to pry away Gabriel

Their information is that Barcelona are reportedly making a pronounced effort to prise Gabriel from Old Trafford, seeing him as a top talent. Described as the most talked about talent at United’s academy, the 15-year-old has 10 goals in 10 games for the under-18 team, and has already been given two caps for the under-16 England team.

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Manchester United confident of retaining Gabriel

The Red Devils are confident they can fight off Barcelona’s interest though. Director of Football Jason Wilcox made an effort to show Gabriel’s family just how committed they are to his development and how much they value him, and was supposedly key to ensuring that he committed to Manchester United for this season and next.

Irish nationality could work in Barcelona’s favour

Given Gabriel is under 18, Barcelona in theory would not be able to move for him until he becomes an adult. However he possesses dual nationality, meaning he could hold an Irish passport – as part of the European Union, the Catalan giants could in theory recruit Gabriel at the age of 16, although he does not reach that age until October next year. FIFA regulations adopted in recent years prevent players under the age of 18 moving continents as part of transfer deals.

Barcelona have recently stepped up their efforts in terms of recruiting developing stars younger, as evidenced by their pursuit of Cardoso Varela, and the signing of Ibrahim Diarra.