Fabrizio Romano says that Real Madrid are ready to deal a significant transfer blow to Manchester United, with Los Blancos firmly in the driving seat to sign JJ Gabriel.

The 16-year-old striker put himself on the market earlier this year and is seeking to take his next steps away from Old Trafford.

Gabriel has attracted attention from across Europe, with the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich fighting for his signature, while Man Utd have attempted to get him to perform a U-turn.

But according to Romano, Real Madrid will sign the striker unless something remarkable happens.

Real Madrid emerge as clear favourites to sign JJ Gabriel

“I wanted to add something on JJ Gabriel. The boy has been in Madrid for several days over recent weeks. He's training very hard to get ready for January, when he will be able to join a new club,” Romano revealed on his YouTube channel.

“Real Madrid, guys, I told you in another video and I'm telling you today, remain very clear favourites to sign JJ Gabriel.

“At the moment, the expectation of everyone involved is for JJ Gabriel to go to Real Madrid. They are way ahead of the other candidates.

“His agents have met with several clubs, but at the moment Barcelona have different priorities. Paris Saint-Germain have different priorities. Bayern Munich have spoken with JJ Gabriel's agents, but at the moment Bayern are not advancing.

“I always told you that Spain was the most likely outcome for JJ Gabriel, and now we can say that Real Madrid remain the leading club for him.

“It's not a done deal yet, as of now, but Real Madrid remain the favourites. They remain in the driving seat and are making progress to sign JJ Gabriel.”

Real Madrid want to avoid damaging Man Utd relationship over JJ Gabriel

There is another important aspect to this potential transfer, with Real Madrid keen to ensure that negotiations do not damage their relationship with Manchester United.

“Let me add one more thing. Real Madrid want to make sure they don't damage their relationship with Manchester United over this JJ Gabriel saga,” Romano continued.

“If Real Madrid complete the JJ Gabriel deal, because at the moment it's not completed yet, they want to make sure everyone is aware of the situation. There will be nothing happening behind the scenes or anything that creates problems for any side involved.

“Real Madrid want to maintain good relationships.

“Remember what happened, for example, with Trent Alexander-Arnold. With Trent and Liverpool, Real Madrid even tried to sign the player in January by paying a transfer fee. Liverpool said no. They wanted to wait and see what happened.

“Then, when Real Madrid signed the player on a free transfer, they first informed Liverpool to maintain a good relationship.

“This is what Real Madrid like to do, obviously.

“JJ Gabriel is not Trent Alexander-Arnold. He has the potential to be an important player, but he's still a young player.

“Even with a young player, with a talent like JJ Gabriel, who is very young and has just turned 16, Real Madrid still want to be respectful. They don't want to damage any relationship.

“So we have to be careful and wait, step by step, for the next stages of the story.

“But for sure, JJ Gabriel's destination is expected to be Real Madrid, and they are absolutely in the driving seat at the moment.

“The chances of him continuing at Manchester United are seen as very, very low. We're talking about below 5%, if you ask me.”