JJ Gabriel transfer twist as ‘Manchester United make contract offer’

0Manchester United have offered JJ Gabriel a scholarship contract as they look to convince the wonderkid to stay at the club.

Gabriel blindsided the Red Devils last month when he made a surprise request to be deregistered, allowing him to leave the club as a free agent.

It is said his entourage, fronted by his father, was unimpressed by the lack of first-team opportunities afforded to him.

That is despite the fact United had planned to include him in a senior squad for the first time as they hosted Brighton in the Carabao Cup mere days after his transfer request was received.

Both Barcelona and Real Madrid are said to be among the clubs interested in taking him on, though there will be a race for the now 16-year-old’s signature should he depart. Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are both in the running, too.

In the meantime, United are doing everything in their power to convince the player to stay. Per reports from The Guardian, they have now made a formal offer of a scholarship deal to the player.

It remains unlikely, however, the offer will be accepted, with the general expectation still that Gabriel will move for greener pastures.

Under Premier League rules, this means Gabriel is no longer able to leave for free in January, and any interested Premier League party will have to negotiate a fee.

That could reach as much as £3million. A precedent was set when Liverpool were made to pay Chelsea an initial £2.8m in compensation for Rio Ngumoha in 2025.

European clubs, however, are not subject to Premier League rules and would be expected to pay a lesser fee of around £350,000.

In any case, Gabriel’s exit currently seems more likely than not, as he has not reported for training in three weeks.

Enfield-born Gabriel has been a United player since he was 11, having previously spent time in the academies of Chelsea, Arsenal and West Ham.

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