Manchester United starlet JJ Gabriel is set to leave for Real Madrid in January, with Fabrizio Romano providing his latest information on the saga.

We revealed on November 1 that Real Madrid are confident of winning the race for the attacking midfielder, despite clubs such as Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Chelsea all showing interest in him. On Wednesday, Romano revealed that Gabriel and his camp have repeatedly travelled to Spain in recent weeks to try and finalise a move to Jose Mourinho’s side.

Man Utd have made several approaches to try and get Gabriel to change his mind by signing a scholarship deal at Carrington, but those offers have been rebuffed.

In his latest YouTube video, Romano has revealed that the 16-year-old’s transfer to Madrid will be considered a done deal before January.

“Get ready, because one of the first ‘here we go’ for 2027 is coming, and it’s gonna be JJ Gabriel to Real Madrid,” he said.

“Not a surprise this one, I told you since September. I told you Real Madrid are pushing, leading the race for weeks.

“And now, the agreement is almost done between JJ Gabriel and Real Madrid.

“Nothing will be signed this week in terms of [an] official statement. So, [for] formal steps, we have to be a little bit more patient.

“But in terms of verbal agreement, we are almost there.

JJ Gabriel to Real Madrid ‘is going to happen’ – Fabrizio Romano

“On Thursday evening, JJ Gabriel camp informed all the interested clubs: ‘Thank you for your interest, but JJ Gabriel picks Real Madrid. JJ Gabriel believes Real Madrid are offering the best project possible.’

“It’s happening – the deal is going to happen.

“They [Madrid] want to be careful of the legal point of view. When to sign, how to communicate with Man Utd, [and] not to enter into any legal battle between the two clubs.

“Real Madrid always want to make sure everything is ok with top clubs.”

Despite Gabriel’s tender age, his exit from United will be big news as he is viewed as a future £100million player.

The versatile forward is seen as arguably the best 16-year-old in the country, and he was named United’s academy player of the year last season.

Ryan Giggs namechecked Arsenal wonderkid Max Dowman when sending a message to Gabriel.