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Manchester United have formally offered a scholarship contract to wantaway youngster JJ Gabriel but they are still expected to lose the 16-year-old for a nominal fee.
Gabriel has attracted headlines in recent weeks after asking United to cancel his registration to their academy, having failed to make an acceptable amount of progress in the first team according to the wonderkid’s family and representatives.
Under Premier League youth rules, Gabriel would have been allowed to leave United for free in January if the club had not offered him a formal scholarship after he turned 16 this week.
But The Guardian have confirmed that an offer has now been submitted to Gabriel, meaning United will now be entitled to a fee from a rival club even if the forward rejects the contract offered by the Red Devils.
For Premier League sides, Gabriel’s value will be determined by a tribunal if a fee cannot be agreed with United, where the club would allegedly be expected to receive in excess of €3m, plus a clause in the deal granting them 20% of his next transfer fee, similar to Liverpool’s signing of Rio Ngumoha from Chelsea last year.
However, should Gabriel move to a European side, United would only be entitled to around £350,000 (€413,000) and the club may look to take legal action if they feel recruitment rules have been breached.
JJ Gabriel set to leave Man Utd in search of big money move abroad
Gabriel has been a standout performer for United’s academy since joining the club as an 11-year-old in 2022 and he featured for the senior side during pre-season friendlies this summer, having trained with the first team regularly.
However, recent reports claimed that Gabriel’s representatives were demanding that the teenager play 20 minutes in the Champions League against Sabah last month, as well as against Bournemouth and Brighton, if he was to consider signing a scholarship deal at the club.
Gabriel has not trained with the club since walking out last month and it looks increasingly likely that he will leave, with the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich said to be leading the chase for his signature.
It remains to be seen what Gabriel decides and which clubs move for him, with speculation suggesting that his representatives are demanding a salary of more than €1m in addition to a substantial signing on fee.
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