Real Madrid are being framed as the front-runners for J. Gabriel, and the teenager has already stopped training with Manchester United's youth team weeks ago. Madrid want to send him straight into the Castilla setup rather than the youth sides, which says plenty about how they see him. The move is still being talked about for January, and the overall cost is being framed at around €10-15 million including fees, salary, commissions and other costs.

Madrid's pull on Gabriel

The wider race is still live, but Spain looks like the stronger draw. Barcelona and Real Madrid are both linked with Gabriel, while Bayern München and PSG are also monitoring him. The sporting case for Barcelona is obvious enough, with them top of La Liga on 24 points from 8 matches. Madrid are fourth with 18 points from 8 matches, so they are not exactly selling a crisis project either.

Real Madrid's edge, though, is the way they are being described as the club in pole position. That fits the reporting around Gabriel's preference better than the idea of a multi-club free-for-all. United still have an appeal argument, and Paul Parker said: "I believe that appeal is always there because I always think if you're going to go and achieve something, you're going to win something and go to Manchester United because you know when you do it, you know it's massive and everyone in the world knows it, knows all about it, knows about the club, know what they're achieving and they know about you and there's no better place to go. They definitely haven't lost their appeal."

United's grip is slipping

Michael Carrick's public line has not shifted much. Speaking to mirror.co.uk, he said: "nothing's changed at all" on Gabriel's situation. He also said the player has acknowledged a mistake, adding: "I think he's released his statement and he's realised he's made a mistake. I understand emotion at times. We ask for fire and players to care, but there is a way of doing that, which has been acknowledged. We need to carry that intensity and spirit and use that."

The problem for United is the setting around all of this. They are 13th in the Premier League with just one win in six games. That is the sort of backdrop that makes it harder to sell stability to a 16-year-old with Spain in his head, even before you get to the fact that he has already stepped away from the youth set-up.

Real Madrid remain the name to watch, but the story is less about a finished deal than a club losing control of the race. Gabriel's next move is expected in the January window, and the teams watching him now are Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern München.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 5 outlets. How we work →