Manchester United manager Michael Carrick is set to be hugely disappointed in his quest to keep JJ Gabriel, with a reliable journalist revealing when the youngster plans to join Real Madrid.

Gabriel told Man Utd back in September that he wanted his registration with the Red Devils cancelled with immediate effect.

Man Utd rejected the teenager’s request and tried to convince him and his camp to make a U-turn.

TEAMtalk’s transfer insider, Graeme Bailey, reported at the time that Real Madrid were among the clubs keen on Gabriel.

Gabriel turned 16 in October, which means that he would be able to sign for a foreign club from January 2027.

On November 1, Graeme Bailey reported that Real Madrid were confident of signing Gabriel from Man Utd in the January transfer window.

On November 5, we reported that Madrid and England superstar Jude Bellingham’s camp had spoken to their Gabriel counterparts and had recommended a move to the Bernabeu.

Since then, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has reported that it is only a matter of time before Gabriel becomes a Madrid player.

It has now emerged that Real Madrid plan to finalise a deal for the 16-year-old attacker within the next two weeks.

Reliable Spanish journalist Jorge C Picon, who has almost 27,000 followers on X, has claimed that Man Utd executives and manager Michael Carrick have failed in their quest to keep Gabriel.

JJ Gabriel from Man Utd to Real Madrid IMMINENT

Picon wrote on X at 10:13am on November 8: “JJ Gabriel’s camp expects his move to Real Madrid to be finalised next week or the week after.

“United executives or even Carrick tried to convince him to stay in various meetings, but to no avail.

“At Real Madrid, he will sign his first professional contract, something he could not do with the English club until October 2027.”