Real Madrid believe they are “well positioned” to sign 15-year-old JJ Gabriel (whose full name is Joseph Junior Andreou Gabriel) from Manchester United.
The super talent who has been referred to as one of a generation of talent and “Kid Messi” is not happy with the development at Manchester United. He has purged his Instagram account which has almost a million followers. – A clear proof of dissatisfaction.
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Real Madrid will give JJ Gabriel the opportunity to play senior football if they sign him from Manchester United – by placing him in their Castilla team, according to reports. Gabriel reportedly “shocked” United management on Tuesday by announcing that he wants to end his contract and leave the club.
The 15-year-old has attracted interest from a number of European clubs, including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.
Real Madrid want to offer JJ Gabriel a way forward
It has been reported that Gabriel and his support staff are disappointed with his development and opportunities for first-team play at Manchester United.
He has yet to make his senior debut, but is said to have been scheduled to start United’s third round Carabao Cup against Brighton and Hove Albion at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
Gabriel’s options are threefold: either he stays at United, goes to another Premier League club or moves abroad.
The Premier League option has its own pitfalls. Gabriel could leave United when he turns 16 in October and go to another Premier League club. Chelsea are excluded, because they are banned from signing academy players until December.
A loophole in the regulations allows European clubs to sign Gabriel before his 16th birthday, if he has dual citizenship. His mother is Greek Cypriot.
ESPN reports that Real Madrid, who are said to feel “well positioned” to sign Gabriel, have already mapped out what his future will look like if he moves to the Bernabéu.
He will initially play for Real’s Castilla team, which has been a testing ground for many young players in Los Blancos over the years.
The success of Real’s academy system dates back to the mid-1900s, with players such as Emilio Butragueño, Raúl, Iker Casillas, Juan Mata, Daniel Parejo, and Guti all notable candidates. Current first-team players have – albeit briefly – played for Castilla, namely Rodrygo, Vinícius Júnior, and Federico Valverde.
Castilla currently plays in the fourth division of Spanish football, with elite reserve teams integrated into the senior football structure.
The rules of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) state that reserve teams are forbidden to play in the same division as their senior team, so Castilla will never play higher than the second tier – unless Real were inexplicably relegated, in which case Castilla would be relegated to the third tier. Then the club would have far more to worry about.
Why one club can’t sign JJ Gabriel
As mentioned above, Chelsea’s current nine-month ban on registering academy players means that they cannot strike a deal for Gabriel before the ban expires in December.
The ban stems from violations of the law during Roman Abramovich’s time as owner of the Blues.
Chelsea received a nine-month ban and a fine of £750,000 for breaching Premier League rules on the registration of academy players between 2019 and 2022.
That sanction was separate from their punishment in July for breaching rules related to payments to agents during the same period. They were fined £10 million and banned from registering new players in two transfer windows – the latter suspended until June 30, 2027.
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