Barcelona's Deco distances club from Man United teen JJ Gabriel as exit pressure mounts

Barcelona sporting director Deco has publicly distanced the Spanish club from Manchester United academy prospect JJ Gabriel, telling journalist Ben Jacobs that Barcelona are ‘not interested in any player in his situation’ — the clearest signal yet from the Catalan side that they are not actively pursuing the 15-year-old.

Gabriel informed United of his desire to leave the club earlier this month, with his family reportedly believing his development would be better served elsewhere. The attacker joined United at the age of 11 and had been drawing attention after being integrated into Michael Carrick’s first-team setup during pre-season. He was originally pencilled in to make his senior debut against Brighton in the Carabao Cup, but was left out of the squad following his departure request.

Reports from Spain this week claimed Gabriel and his representatives had already visited both Madrid and Barcelona, with suggestions he had reached a ‘first major agreement’ to join one of the two clubs. Real Madrid were also named among the interested parties.

Deco was measured in his response, stopping short of a flat denial while making clear Barcelona’s reluctance to act. “There’s nothing to say about this boy, it’s normal we always have players linked with us,” he said. “We are not interested in any player in his situation. I am not sure what’s happening, and if he’s still a Manchester United player. We are not involved in that. First of all, we need to understand how the situation is before we try to do something. And to speak about young, teenage players, it is not our business.”

The clock is ticking for United to find a resolution. Gabriel turns 16 on 6 October, at which point he becomes eligible to be legally represented by an agent and, crucially, can join a foreign club using his Irish passport. United officials are said to be unclear about what has prompted the push to leave, and the club’s hierarchy is unwilling to tear up his current contract, which expires at the end of the season.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding his future, Gabriel has continued to perform at academy level. He marked his UEFA Youth League debut against Sabah last Thursday with a hat-trick, underlining why his situation has attracted attention across Europe.