Real Madrid are confident of signing Manchester United forward JJ Gabriel in January after reaching a verbal agreement with the 16-year-old and his representatives.
No club-to-club negotiations have taken place, but sources have told BBC Sport that the Spanish club expect to secure a deal for the highly rated teenager.
Gabriel remains registered with Manchester United, although he has not returned to the club since leaving in September. He is currently training on his own in Spain after deciding to look elsewhere for a route into senior football.
The forward featured against Atletico Madrid during Manchester United’s pre-season tour and had been expected to become the club’s youngest debutant in the Carabao Cup tie against Brighton in September.
His situation has attracted interest from several leading European clubs, including Barcelona and Paris St-Germain. Real Madrid now believe they are in pole position to sign him.
Gabriel’s move has been made more straightforward by his securing a European Union passport, which is expected to make it easier for him to join a club outside England.
If he leaves Manchester United, the club would be entitled to compensation. However, that payment would be lower if Gabriel joined a club outside the Premier League.
Gabriel scored a hat-trick on his debut in the Uefa Youth League and was named the Premier League’s Under-18 player of the season last term, despite being only 14 during that campaign.
A Manchester United source described him earlier this year as “The best 15-year-old in Europe”, while former interim manager Darren Fletcher said: “The world is his oyster.”
United head coach Michael Carrick urged caution when discussing the teenager after the EFL Cup defeat by Brighton.
“We’ve got to be really careful of the whole situation,” Carrick said.
“He’s a young boy…from a club point of view, looking after our younger players – their welfare, their well-being, their exposure – we’ve got to be really conscious of that in this situation.”
