JJ Gabriel finally decides next club after Man Utd burn bridges by rejecting five demands

As JJ Gabriel nears an exit from Manchester United and with a prospective move to Spain now decided, a report has revealed the five extraordinary demands made by the player’s camp, which were rejected by the Red Devils and pre-empted his likely departure.

We exclusively broke the news all the way back on August 13 that United were struggling to convince the highly-rated teenager – dubbed ‘Kid Messi’ and regarded as one of the best young talents in the world game – to sign a new deal at Old Trafford, and amid rising fears he could leave.

And when that news was confirmed by a plethora of sources a month later, speculation has since risen over which club will win the race for the acclaimed young star, who recently turned 16.

With sources also exclusively revealing that Gabriel and his family have since appointed super-agent Ali Barat to look after his affairs, the race for his signature has seemingly come down to four of Europe’s biggest clubs.

Despite that, it has been reported that INEOS have not given up hope and had submitted a fresh offer of their own to try and convince the 16-year-old to stay.

Now, according to the Manchester Evening News, during those initial talks, Gabriel and his family had made five initial demands of United if he was to stay.

And while some of them were not inconceivable, some of them were simply too great, and those differences of opinion ultimately led to him seeking a move elsewhere.

Per their report, Gabriel had demanded to wear the shirt number 77, with ‘Gabriel JR’ on the back.

He also only wanted to train exclusively with the first team and not the Under-18s and Under-21s group he had previously been working with.

It’s also alleged that he wanted at least 20 guaranteed minutes in three specific matches earlier this season, while also being paid a seven-figure annual salary if he were to agree to a new deal.

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JJ Gabriel future now decided as star picks next club – report

Amid all the claims and counterclaims, the Manchester Evening News now claims that Gabriel has decided to join Real Madrid, having been persuaded to make the move to the Bernabeu by Jose Mourinho.

Their report states that, with the 16-year-old having narrowed down his choice and making it clear he wants to move to Spain, it’s understood that Mourinho’s side ‘believe they’ve won the race’ and are ‘close to agreeing a deal for the highly-rated prospect to join in the January window.’

The report adds that both Barcelona and Real Madrid ‘conducted discussions’ over his signing, with Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain also ‘expressing interest and holding talks with the forward’.

But it’s the Los Blancos who are now poised to win the race, with Mourinho playing a part in convincing the player to snub the Catalans to move to the Spanish capital.

However, their report warns that United are ‘contemplating legal proceedings if the teenager departs’, while the club has ‘submitted an official scholarship contract proposal to the player’ to ensure he can’t now leave for another Premier League club without a fee’.

Over the weekend, the miserly sum that United can expect to collect from his departure also came to light.

The move to the Bernabeu, though, will certainly be seen as a coup given Gabriel seemingly had designs on moving elsewhere.