Barcelona rule out move for Manchester United wonderkid JJ Gabriel

Barcelona have ruled out a move for Manchester United wonderkid JJ Gabriel, with sporting director Deco insisting the club is not interested in signing him.

Gabriel has asked to leave United after submitting a formal request to cancel his registration. 

This came as a major shock for United, especially after club legend Ryan Giggs described the youngster as a ‘generational talent’ a few weeks ago.

Gabriel has already been linked with the biggest clubs across Europe, while United are reportedly pulling out all the stops to keep him at Old Trafford.

The youngster has reportedly travelled to Spain for transfer talks, with Barcelona and Real Madrid among clubs showing keen interest.

However, sporting director Deco has now distanced Barcelona from a move for Gabriel.

He said there was little to discuss regarding the youngster and insisted the La Liga champions were not involved in his current situation.

“There’s nothing to say about this boy,” he said to talkSPORT’s Ben Jacobs. 

“It’s normal we always have players linked with us. There’s a huge market for that, even when they (players) are young. 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.”

With Barca out of the picture, United have one less club to worry about. But their battle to keep Gabriel is far from over, especially with clubs in England also keeping tabs on his situation.

United hope to buy time to find a solution, but the teenager is pushing for an exit and wants to start a new chapter elsewhere.

Madrid are already working on a deal to sign him while Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City are queuing up to swoop in.

The teenager was expected to be part of United’s squad for their League Cup meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion.

An appearance would have made him the youngest player in the club’s history.