According to reports, Barcelona is the favorite to sign 15-year-old Manchester United prospect JJ Gabriel, with PSG, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid also interested.
PSG has received bad news. Barcelona appears to be the favorite to sign a young player that both clubs have identified as a future target.
A few weeks ago, it was reported that Joseph Junior Gabriel, also known as JJ Gabriel, just 15 years old, decided to leave Manchester United.
This news is particularly relevant because he is perhaps Manchester United's biggest academy prospect, and just weeks before turning 16, Gabriel decided he wanted to continue his career away from Old Trafford.
As a result, clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Real Madrid have contacted the player’s entourage to offer him a clear path to continue his career.
According to reports from Spain cited by Fichajes.net, Barcelona is currently the favorite to sign the player, as Gabriel’s entourage has not hidden their fondness for the Blaugrana club.
No formal decision has been made yet, according to the same report, but for now, Hansi Flick’s team appears to be the favorite to secure the signature of the talented English forward.
Frankly, when it comes to developing talent and providing the right environment, Barcelona and PSG stand out more than the rest.
Bayern Munich does not do badly in that regard, but it has not been their greatest strength in recent years either.
On the other hand, Real Madrid has been a negative example of how not to handle situations involving young players, and the clearest recent examples are Endrick and Franco Mastantuono. Neither player has secured a place in Real Madrid’s first team: Mastantuono is currently on loan at Serie A side Fiorentina, while Endrick still isn't getting significant minutes under José Mourinho.
Other examples from the past include players like Brazilian Reinier, who returned to his country to continue playing regularly there.
PSG, on the other hand, has had successful cases such as Desire Doue, Bradley Barcola, João Neves, and Nuno Mendes, all of whom arrived at similar ages, between 19 and 21.
Another example is academy graduate Warren Zaïre-Emery, now a key piece in Luis Enrique’s system in both midfield and defense, who began playing a prominent role at the club at 16, while Christophe Galtier was still in charge.
Senny Mayulu and Dro Fernández are another pair of examples of players who regularly get important minutes with the Parisian club, despite not being the stars who receive most of the attention.
Barcelona also has a strong ability to develop young talent, with the clearest examples currently being Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí. However, other young players have also gradually gained prominence at the club in recent years and months, such as Gerard Martín and Xavi Espart, among others.
Therefore, this battle looks set to be very interesting, and although nothing has been decided yet, it is good news for the Culers that they are currently the favorites to sign this talented player.
