The finer details surrounding the deal for English player JJ Gabriel are beginning to emerge, with four giants battling for his signature: Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Barcelona. All four must brace themselves to pay huge sums to land a player who has only just turned sixteen and is tipped to break record after record.
According to Spanish newspaper "Sport", JJ Gabriel's family and his agent Ali Barat have tabled a list of demands during negotiations, after the player completed a round of visits taking in Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Barcelona's board and their rivals know the score. Signing the most exciting talent to come through Manchester United's academy means an outlay of no less than 10 million euros.
Sources close to the talks confirm that figure covers a three-year contract, with a salary of more than one million euros per season, plus the various costs tied to the deal: commissions, financial compensation for the family and the solidarity mechanism that obliges the buyer to pay compensation to Manchester United.
Exceptional figures for a promising talent
Such enormous expectations tell you everything about the extraordinary contract awaiting a player of his age. Wherever he lands, he will sign terms fit for a top young star, despite never having faced an elite first team.
The demands are vast, yet all four giants appear ready to shoulder both the sporting and financial risks the deal carries.
Once the first round of talks went public, JJ Gabriel's family and his agent Ali Barat switched strategy. They now want greater secrecy, while also soothing a furious Manchester United, who have repeatedly threatened to go to court to block the player's exit after being told officially that he would not sign his first professional contract with them.
Everything around the player suggests the phase of listening to offers and holding consultations may have run its course, barring a surprise bid that changes the picture. The moment for reflection has arrived before the player and his family settle on the most suitable sporting project. It all coincides with the wait for one more essential box to be ticked: a Cypriot passport, secured through his mother's roots, an administrative step needed to get round the restrictions created by Britain's exit from the European Union.
Reports out of Munich and Paris have talked up the efforts of Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain to tempt JJ Gabriel their way. The data tells a different story. The family's wish has not changed.
They still lean towards leaving the English Premier League for Spanish football. With the fight between Real Madrid and Barcelona heating up, the information confirms that nothing has been decided yet.