Barcelona and Manchester United have shared plenty of notable players over the years, with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Gerard Pique, Alexis Sanchez and Victor Valdes all representing both clubs.
More recently, Marcus Rashford joined that group after spending the 2025-26 campaign on loan in Catalonia.
The England international impressed during his temporary spell before returning to Old Trafford.
There had appeared to be a possibility of another United player eventually making the same journey, although Barcelona have now moved to distance themselves from speculation surrounding teenage prospect JJ Gabriel.
Barcelona address JJ Gabriel links
Gabriel, who is just 15, travelled to Spain after informing Manchester United earlier this month that he wanted to leave the club.
Reports have subsequently linked him with a number of Europe’s biggest sides, including Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.
The youngster has also been labelled “special” by former United captain Wayne Rooney, adding to the attention surrounding his future.
However, Barcelona sporting director Deco has insisted that the Catalan giants are not currently pursuing Gabriel.
“There’s nothing to say about this boy,” Deco said at a news conference. “It’s normal we always have players linked with us. There’s a huge market for that, even when they are young.
“We are not interested in any player in his situation. I’m not sure what’s happening, and if he’s still a Manchester United player. We are not involved in that.
“First of all, we need to understand how the situation is before we try to do something. To speak about young, teenage players, it is not our business.”
Gabriel has not returned to training with United since scoring a hat-trick on his UEFA Youth League debut on September 10.
Tournament regulations mean he cannot represent another club in this season’s competition, while his options could change when he turns 16 on October 6.
United boss Michael Carrick has already urged people to be “careful and sensible” over the level of attention being placed on the highly-rated youngster.
For now, though, Barcelona appear to have ruled themselves out of the equation. With Gabriel’s future still uncertain and several major European clubs reportedly monitoring his situation, the next few weeks could prove significant for the Manchester United youngster.
