Barcelona are stepping up efforts to lure Manchester United’s teenage sensation J.J. Gabriel. The 15-year-old, who has scored 10 goals in 10 games for the Under-18s this season, is one of the most highly regarded talents in the Red Devils’ academy.
England Under-16 international Gabriel made headlines this weekend after scoring a hat-trick in the 7-0 win over Liverpool. His contribution has seen United move into third place in the Under-18 Premier League table with six wins and two draws from 11 games.
However, The Sun reports that Barcelona are keen to poach Gabriel from United and integrate him into La Masia’s famous youth set-up. It has been suggested that United’s director of football, Jason Wilcox, played a key role in convincing Gabriel to remain at the club this season and next.
Red Devils officials believe Wilcox’s involvement shows how highly Gabriel’s family values the attacking midfielder and are confident he can have a bright future at Old Trafford. According to the Manchester Evening News, there is optimism that the 2010-born young star will remain at United in the long term, despite interest from Barcelona.
Last week, it was reported that United head coach Ruben Amorim had held separate talks with Gabriel and his representatives. This was followed by pictures of the teenage sensation training with the First Team squad.
Gabriel was promoted to train with the senior players last Thursday, as the Under-21s played behind closed doors on Friday and faced Anderlecht in the Premier League International Cup on Tuesday night.
In an Instagram update in October, Gabriel revealed that he had been training with the senior team, prompting Amorim to ask about the involvement of young players. “I know, like everyone, that he’s a really talented player and everyone was paying attention to him on social media,” the Portuguese coach explained at the time.
“There was a match for the U21 team, but we had a small number of players and we tried to bring talented players into training, not only for me to watch for tomorrow, but also to give them a feel of what it means to be in the first team, the difficulty of playing against our defenders, the difficulty of our training, the pace.”
“If we can take advantage of all the training we need and show the kids what they need to do to get here, that’s important for everyone, not just JJ.”
Gabriel represents United’s latest talent that Barcelona are looking to poach, with the Spanish giants also chasing Marcus Rashford on a permanent move next summer. The 28-year-old striker gave his all during his loan spell at Camp Nou, scoring six goals and providing nine assists in 19 games.
Despite coming on as a substitute in Tuesday’s 3-1 win over Atletico Madrid, Rashford came on in the second half and was decisive as he helped his temporary employers pick up vital points. After the match, Rashford took to social media to thank supporters.
“An important win and a great team performance,” Rashford shared on Instagram. Barcelona have the chance to make his move permanent for a fee of £26m at the end of the season.
Rashford could have joined Aston Villa this summer after an impressive loan spell in the second half of the 2024/25 season, but Villa decided not to take up their £40m option.
He will have the chance to add to his goals and assist tally for Barcelona when they face Real Betis in La Liga this weekend. It will be the first time Rashford will face former United team-mate Anthony since both players opted to leave the Red Devils on loan in January.
