Barcelona have offered Manchester United academy prospect JJ Gabriel guarantees over a sporting project designed to fast-track him into the first team, according to Spanish outlet Sport, as the 15-year-old's effort to leave Old Trafford continues.
It was first reported this month that Gabriel had sent formal notice of his wish to cancel his registration and become a free agent immediately, and he would have become United's youngest-ever player, surpassing David Gaskell's 1956 record, had he featured in the Carabao Cup tie with Brighton that followed.
United cannot de-register him without agreement from all parties, but Gabriel can negotiate a move abroad once he turns 16 next month, helped by the fact he holds an Irish passport. Sport reports that Barcelona are prepared to play him in his favoured central attacking midfield role and offer a long, lucrative contract he could sign as soon as he turns 16, with sporting director Deco said to have intensified contact with his representatives after Gabriel and his family were spotted in Catalonia last week.
Real Madrid are also in the race and believe their offer is higher than Barcelona's, while Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain remain interested; Gabriel's agent has told the latter two that his priority lies with one of the Spanish clubs.
The player wiped all images from his Instagram account last week, fuelling concern over his United future.
His father, Joe O'Cearuill, has reportedly taken issue with how the club has handled his son's development, according to the Daily Mail, wanting him accelerated more quickly into first-team contention despite already playing for the under-21s at 15, and frustrated that he was left out of the squads to face Ipswich Town in the Premier League and Sabah in the Champions League, fixtures some believed offered a suitable opportunity for a senior debut.
Gabriel instead scored a hat-trick for United's under-19s in a 5-0 UEFA Youth League win over Sabah, a game in which United had 44 shots to their opponents' none.