‘We are almost there’: Romano delivers update Man United fans won’t want to hear
Manchester United face the prospect of losing highly rated academy prospect JJ Gabriel to Real Madrid, with Fabrizio Romano providing a major update on the teenager’s future ahead of the January transfer window.
The 16-year-old has attracted considerable attention from several European heavyweights, but the Spanish giants are now close to an agreement to secure his services.
Real Madrid closing in on JJ Gabriel signing
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Real Madrid are on the verge of a verbal agreement with Gabriel, with the youngster’s representatives telling interested clubs he has chosen the Spanish outfit as his preferred destination.
Romano has indicated that an early ‘Here We Go’ announcement could come in 2027, although the transfer formalities are yet to be completed.
“Get ready, because one of the first ‘here we go’ for 2027 is coming, and it’s gonna be JJ Gabriel to Real Madrid,” he said. “Not a surprise this one, I told you since September. I told you Real Madrid are pushing, leading the race for weeks. “And now, the agreement is almost done between JJ Gabriel and Real Madrid. “Nothing will be signed this week in terms of [an] official statement. So, [for] formal steps, we have to be a little bit more patient. “But in terms of verbal agreement, we are almost there.”
Manchester United have made several attempts to convince the attacking prospect to remain at Old Trafford, offering him a scholarship agreement at Carrington. However, those proposals have reportedly failed to sway him.
The teenager believes Real Madrid can provide the ideal environment for his development, and the chance to join one of Europe’s biggest clubs could be hard to turn down.
Madrid are also keen to handle the situation carefully, particularly given their desire to maintain a positive relationship with Manchester United. They want to ensure that the necessary legal procedures are followed before completing the move.
JJ Gabriel could become a major loss for Manchester United
Losing Gabriel would be a significant setback for United, given his enormous potential and reputation in academy football.
The versatile forward is regarded as one of the brightest young talents in English football and was named Manchester United’s academy player of the year last season.
He is already being tipped to develop into a player worth around £100 million, highlighting the scale of the potential loss for the Premier League giants.
United will hope to avoid losing another promising academy graduate, but Real Madrid appear increasingly confident of getting their man in January.
