Man United's wantaway wonderkid JJ Gabriel, 15, flies to Barcelona for talks amid tug-of-war with Real Madrid after dropping quit bombshell

Manchester United’s teenage star JJ Gabriel held talks with Barcelona on Friday as he prepares to choose between Europe’s top clubs over his next move.

Since Gabriel rocked United with a bombshell demand to quit Old Trafford, it has emerged that he is at the centre of a tug-of-war between Barca and their La Liga rivals Real Madrid.

It’s understood that the 15-year-old winger travelled to Spain via France on Thursday, raising the possibility that his representatives may have spoken to Paris Saint-Germain as well. Bayern Munich are also known to have been tracking his progress.

But Madrid have been leading the chase for Gabriel and are believed to have held talks with his camp over the past few weeks.

Barca made their pitch on Friday and have been keen on Gabriel for some time. The Catalan giants gave him a tour of their club facilities in August 2024 when he was introduced to superstar Lamine Yamal who signed a shirt and posed for a photo.

Manchester City and Chelsea are said to be monitoring the situation, but a move abroad feels more likely at this stage because Gabriel can join a European club two years earlier at 16 due to the fact he holds an Irish passport.

JJ Gabriel has flown to Barcelona for talks over a move to the LaLiga champions

Gabriel (pictured with Lamine Yamal in 2024) has told Man United he wants to leave the club

That would mean United only receiving around £300,000 in compensation, compared to a substantially higher fee if he joined a Premier League rival.

Gabriel has been at United since the age of 11, and is considered one of the hottest young prospects in European football.

The youngster was set to sign a first-year scholarship at United at the age 16 – which would have automatically triggered a lucrative professional contract on his 17th birthday – and could even have made a first-team debut against Brighton in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.

But he asked United to rip up his current deal which is due to expire at the end of the season. The club have so far refused to do so, but he could go to the Premier League or FIFA to force their hand and become a free agent.

He has not been seen at the club since he scored a hat-trick for the Under-21s on his UEFA Youth League debut against Sabah last week.

United boss Michael Carrick said at his press conference yesterday/on Friday that the youngster’s wellbeing remains paramount regardless of his future at Old Trafford.

‘I think I'd just repeat what I said the other day, really,’ said Carrick. ‘He's a young boy, JJ, and I think it's important that we certainly don't play anything out here. I think the exposure and the scrutiny and everything, you’ve got to be careful and be sensible and think of him as much as anything.

‘So the situation will work itself out, whatever way it's going to work itself out. Making sure he's okay is the important thing.’