Real Madrid have reached a verbal agreement with 16-year-old JJ Gabriel over a potential move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Gabriel is registered with Manchester United’s academy until the end of the season but Real Madrid intend to sign him in January.
There is a FIFA loophole that allows European clubs to tie down young players to professional contracts if they have a European passport which Gabriel qualifies for through both parents.
Sky Sports News understands there has been no club-to-club contact over the teenager as of yet.
Sky Sports News reported in October that United will consider legal action if a potential move does materialise for the youngster but it is also understood not to be a concern for Gabriel’s camp.
The teenager requested to leave United in September and has not trained with the club since.
When Gabriel’s camp made it clear he wanted to move on, they asked to be de-registered immediately for the player to become a free agent.
“Those on the outside of Carrington’s walls will understandably view Gabriel’s impending departure as a major blow for Manchester United. The reality, however, is that it has been expected for some time.
“Gabriel and his family have no longstanding ties to United as a club. He was not born and raised in the north of England, where a sense of local connection might have carried greater weight in his decision to stay.
“Instead, he and his family are pursuing their dream move to Real Madrid, although there are reasonable questions over how they have gone about securing it.
Gabriel and his camp felt he should have had more first-team involvement, both in pre-season and in the early stages of the season before he handed in a transfer request in September.
It is understood that United felt they had done all they could to show Gabriel and his family a clear pathway to the first team while also protecting his long-term development.
Gabriel featured in the first-team squad photo and trained with the main group in pre-season before coming off the bench for the senior side in a pre-season friendly against AC Milan. However, the player and his family, ultimately, were not satisfied with the nine-minute cameo he got in that game.
Gabriel’s involvement in pre-season came after the then 15-year-old failed to report back with the academy squad at the beginning of pre-season as expected. The U21s arrived back at Carrington a week before the first team, and Gabriel was due back at the same time.
