Manchester United talent sets his conditions for Barcelona and Real Madrid
Will negotiations be settled soon?
The fine details surrounding the deal for the English player JJ Gabriel are gradually coming to light. Four major clubs are battling to win his services: Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Barcelona. Each must prepare to pay large sums to convince a player who has just turned 16 and is expected to break numerous records.
According to the Spanish newspaper "Sport", JJ Gabriel's family and his agent Ali Barat have laid out a set of demands during negotiations, after the player completed a tour of visits taking in Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Barcelona's board and their rivals all know the truth: signing the most prominent talent to graduate from Manchester United's academy requires a financial investment of no less than 10 million euros.
Sources close to the negotiations confirmed that this figure includes the player's three-year contract, with a salary exceeding one million euros per season. Various expenses come on top, such as commissions, financial compensation for the family and the solidarity mechanism that requires compensation to be paid to Manchester United.
Exceptional figures for a promising talent
The enormous expectations surrounding JJ Gabriel reflect the nature of the exceptional contract awaiting a player of such an age. Wherever he settles, he will land a contract befitting a top-class young star, despite the fact that he has not yet had the chance to face an elite first team.
Those financial demands are huge. Even so, all four major clubs chasing him appear ready to bear the sporting and financial risks.
After the first round of contacts came to light publicly, JJ Gabriel's family and Ali Barat decided to change tack. They want greater secrecy, and at the same time they hope to ease the displeasure of Manchester United, who have repeatedly threatened to go to the courts to obstruct the player's departure after being officially told he would not sign his first professional contract with them. Kooora Forums
The atmosphere around the player suggests the phase of listening to offers and consultations may be over, unless a surprise bid emerges to change the course of the talks. Now is the time to reflect before the player and his family settle on the most suitable sporting project. That decision runs alongside the wait for another essential condition: a Cypriot passport, secured through his mother's roots, an administrative step needed to clear the restrictions caused by Britain's exit from the European Union.
Reports from Munich and Paris have highlighted the efforts of Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain to convince JJ Gabriel to join them. Yet the family's wish has not changed.
The plan remains to leave the Premier League for Spanish football. With the competition heating up between Real Madrid and Barcelona, nothing has been settled yet.
