Teenager JJ Gabriel has publicly declared "Obviously, Madrid" when asked to choose between Real Madrid and Barcelona, in his first interview since requesting to leave Manchester United.
The 16-year-old has spent six weeks training individually with a coach in Spain, initially in the Catalan town of Castelldefels, and now in the nation's capital. Madrid have allegedly reached a verbal agreement in principle to secure the player's signature, though United sources maintain they have not yet received any formal approach.
Gabriel's family are also understood to have not kept the club that continues to hold his registration informed, despite United reaching out to check on their player.
First Public Words Since Request
Spanish sports publication Marca presented him with a copy of Thursday's edition following a training session on Friday afternoon. The newspaper's front page, displaying a photograph of Gabriel, proclaims that his switch to Real Madrid is imminent.
While posing for a photograph with his copy, Gabriel is reported to have enquired, "Can I keep it?" Seemingly appreciative of the gesture, he also remarked: "My dream is to win a Ballon d'Or".
Marca additionally pressed the teenager about why Madrid is superior to Barcelona, to which he responded: "Obviously, Madrid". His father, Joe O'Cearuill, seemingly endorsed his son's comment with a chuckle.
Move to Madrid's B Side
The report suggests that his agent, Ali Barat, who has represented him for less than a month, is already seeking accommodation in Madrid to house Gabriel and his family. This is understood to be occurring alongside negotiations over the terms of his client's new deal.
Gabriel looks poised to join Castilla, Madrid's B side, who compete in Spain's semi-professional third division. Casemiro and Vinicius Junior are merely two examples of players who have signed for their reserve team. Their present captain, Federico Valverde, also took that route. Gabriel, however, was already featuring regularly in under-21s football at United.
Giggs Raises Doubts
The club's record appearance holder, Ryan Giggs, has raised doubts about why his camp wishes to pursue the move. He told Rio Ferdinand's YouTube channel: "So far in his career, everything is going fine; why would you disrupt that? You're on the right track.
"I trained at 15. I didn't play for the first team until two years later, so you have to have that patience that people just don't seem to have at the moment."
