Man Utd eye JJ Gabriel legal action if teenager leaves amid Barcelona and Real Madrid interest

· Mirror

Manchester United teenage sensation JJ Gabriel is still keen on quitting Old Trafford, though the club are eyeing taking legal action if he moves abroad

Manchester United are considering taking legal action if JJ Gabriel leaves the club. The 15-year-old has informed United of his wish to cancel his registration at United with immediate effect to become a free agent.

United were left stunned by Gabriel's decision and he was due to be involved in the Carabao Cup squad to face Brighton last month. If he had featured, the teenage talent would have become the club's youngest-ever player, eclipsing David Gaskell, who was 16 years and 19 days old when he debuted back in 1956.

Despite this, United believe the situation can still be resolved with Gabriel still having time left on his contract. The 2010-born sensation cannot be de‑registered unless all parties agree, but he can negotiate a move abroad once when he turns 16 next week, helped by the fact he has an Irish passport.

If he does end up moving abroad, United would only be entitled to a small compensation fee, with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich among those interested in signing Gabriel.

Due to that, The Sun have reported that United are weighing up taking regulatory and even legal action against anyone who may negotiate and broker the England Under 17s' exit from Old Trafford.

Gabriel's agent Ali Barat received authorisation from the Football Association (FA) to represent minors after it emerged that the talented midfielder wanted to quit United.

Epic Sports, who is Barat's agency, managed Denzel Dumfries' move to Real Madrid and Nicolas Jackson's transfer to Aston Villa in the summer, and they have since lined up talks with Los Blancos and Bayern for Gabriel's camp.

Gabriel has been training abroad this week after making it clear he doesn't see a future at United. He has been training at the same Barcelona camp that he spent time at before pre-season.

Although speculation continues to increase around Gabriel's future, Michael Carrick urged for calm when asked about the midfielder last month. He said: > "I’ll just repeat what I said [earlier this week]: he’s a young boy, it’s important we don’t put anything out here, the exposure and scrutiny we have to be careful. > > "We have to be sensible and think about him. The situation will work itself out."

Gabriel's last appearance for United came in a 5-0 win against Sabah in the UEFA Youth League last month.

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