Report reveals the two REAL reasons JJ Gabriel wants to quit Man Utd as Sir Jim Ratcliffe makes last ditch plea to change his mind

Manchester United are refusing to give up on keeping teenage super-talent JJ Gabriel after the player made it clear he wants to leave Old Trafford immediately, and a report has revealed the most likely destination for the 15-year-old prospect.

The teenage star is ranked as one of British football’s most promising prospects after scoring 26 goals in 29 games across U18 PL and FA Youth Cup competitions last season.

Manchester United had put him on a fast-track plan to promote him into the first team, and had intended to select him in the matchday squad for Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup third-round clash against Brighton at Old Trafford.

However, that plan has gone up in smoke after news filtered through on Tuesday that Gabriel had made it clear he wants to quit Old Trafford, and owing to the terms of his youth contract with the club, it seems like United do not have much chance of retaining his services.

Indeed, TEAMtalk exclusively revealed on August 13 that United had concerns Gabriel could quit. And now that has come to pass, the club has been left scrambling around to try and figure out a way in which they can convince him to stay.

Per The Athletic, the Red Devils have not given up on keeping Gabriel, and they state that Sir Jim Ratcliffe is doing all in his power to intervene.

Their report states: ‘The matter has come to a head after Gabriel informed United he wants to leave and handed in a letter of de-registration. United have no intention of granting that request and are hopeful a resolution can be found.

‘The Premier League club acknowledge he is an exceptional talent and are trying to keep him. Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is aware of the matter, and United executives are making efforts to persuade Gabriel to stay.

‘, but they are investigating whether they are powerless to halt his exit once he turns 16 on October 6 if he has a European passport.’

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JJ Gabriel has two reasons why he wants to quit Man Utd

That European passport issue represents a real concern for United.

Indeed, with the player understood to hold an Irish one – which hands him different rights to a British one – the player is now eligible to move to Spain, and it’s understood that Real Madrid are now leading the chase to sign him.

Whether his prospects would be served better at the LaLiga giants than they would at Old Trafford remains to be seen.

Despite their presence, our transfer correspondent, Graeme Bailey – the man who broke the news that Gabriel wants out – has been informed that Chelsea are also very much in contention for his signature and Xabi Alonso’s side are already in talks with his representatives over the deal.

Either way, it seems United now face the very real prospect of losing the teenage star, just at the moment they were prepared to usher him into the Red Devils’ first team.

Citing the two reasons why Gabriel wants to quit, it’s ironically claimed that Michael Carrick’s ‘reluctance to hand him more minutes during pre-season’ and ‘United’s decision not to offer him a senior debut so far’ are the two factors that have forced his exit request.

Elsewhere, United remain locked in talks over a new deal for talismanic captain Bruno Fernandes.

And while we can reveal that talks between United and Fernandes over a new contract are continuing, an agreement is not yet close, with the length of the deal one of the key issues preventing an imminent resolution.

With Gabriel out of contention for Wednesday night, Carrick has also provided an update on Carlos Baleba’s fitness and when United might be able to hand their summer signing his first-team debut.