The race for JJ Gabriel continues to heat up. The 15-year-old Manchester United forward has been linked with FC Bayern for quite some time. Now, however, FC Barcelona in particular appears to be stepping up its efforts to sign the top English prospect.
According to consistent reports from Spain and England, Gabriel is currently in Barcelona with his family. There, the young star’s entourage is said to be getting a clearer picture of a possible move to the Catalan club.
Sky Sports reports that talks with Barça are at an advanced stage. At the same time, Real Madrid is also said to be courting Gabriel intensively. This suggests that a bidding war for the English U-17 national team player is taking shape, particularly between the two top Spanish clubs.
Bayern remains in the running for Gabriel
However, FC Bayern is not entirely out of the running. In addition to Paris Saint-Germain, the Munich club is also said to continue to have concrete interest in Gabriel.
The 15-year-old has long been known to the German record champions. Sporting director Christoph Freund recently even publicly confirmed the exceptional talent, but declined to comment further on a possible transfer.
“I don’t talk about players who are under contract with other clubs. We know the player because he is very, very talented—an exceptional talent. But I can’t say any more than that.”
When asked whether there was currently any contact, however, Freund replied: “Not at the moment.”
This leaves open the question of just how intensely Bayern is actually pursuing this at the moment. The trip to Barcelona at least shows that the competition is now taking concrete steps regarding Gabriel.
Manchester United is fighting to keep him
Gabriel, for his part, is said to have decided that he wants to leave Manchester United. However, the Red Devils haven’t completely given up on their young gem.
United still wants to convince the forward to stay. Gabriel is one of the biggest talents in the club’s academy and made a name for himself last season in the U18 Premier League.
For Bayern, this could complicate the situation. Barcelona and Real Madrid appear to be courting the 15-year-old particularly intensely at the moment, while PSG is also rumored to be interested.
A final decision has not yet been made. One thing is clear, however: Gabriel’s visit to Barcelona is injecting new momentum into the transfer saga—and FC Bayern will have to hold its own against formidable competition if it truly wants to make a serious move for the United prospect.