Real Madrid have reached a verbal agreement to sign Manchester United forward JJ Gabriel and are confident of completing a January move for the 16-year-old, BBC Sport understands.

Gabriel remains registered with United but has not returned to the club since leaving in September.

He had been expected to become United’s youngest senior debutant in the Carabao Cup match against Brighton, but instead chose to pursue senior football elsewhere and has been training alone in Spain.

His situation attracted interest from clubs across Europe, including Barcelona and Paris St-Germain. Real Madrid now expect to win the race for his signature. Although no club-to-club discussions have taken place, sources said Real have verbally agreed terms with Gabriel and his representatives.

Gabriel joined United in 2022 and played against Atletico Madrid on the club’s pre-season tour. He scored a hat-trick on his UEFA Youth League debut and was named the Premier League’s Under-18 player of the season last term, despite being 14 at the start of that campaign.

A United source described him this year as “the best 15-year-old in Europe”, while former interim manager Darren Fletcher said: “The world is his oyster.”

Gabriel has obtained an EU passport, which is expected to make it easier for him to join a club outside England. United would be entitled to compensation if he leaves, though the amount would be lower if he signs for a team outside the Premier League.

United head coach Michael Carrick, speaking after the EFL Cup defeat by Brighton, said: “We’ve got to be really careful of the whole situation. He’s a young boy… from a club point of view, looking after our younger players – their welfare, their well-being, their exposure – we’ve got to be really conscious of that in this situation.”