Man Utd beat Chelsea to sign wonderkid, Fabrizio Romano confirms

Robin Bairner

• 18 Feb 2023 09:52 GMT
• 5 min read

Manchester United are set to complete the signing of Wales U17 international forward Gabriele Biancheri, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed.

United are one of a number of Premier League clubs to have chased the young striker, with Chelsea known to have taken a heavy interest in the 16-year-old. Indeed, Romano has confirmed that the Red Devils have beaten another two or three rivals to sign the player.

Biancheri, who has yet to make his debut for Cardiff’s first team, will join the academy as a hot prospect.

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On his Instagram page, the youngster stated: “After more than 9 years my time with Cardiff has come to an end. I’d like to thank all of my coaches for helping me become the player and person I am today and to all my teammates. I’ll forever be thankful for the opportunity I’ve had at this club.”

Biancheri is expected to sign on a scholarship deal but should sign professional terms with the Red Devils when he turns 17 in September.

Biancheri to Man Utd: A transfer months in the making

It had previously been reported in January by The Athletic that Man Utd had beaten off competition to sign the player, with his medical thought to have taken place late last month.

There was, however, no rush for the deal to be pushed through, although United were keen to wrap up the transfer as rapidly as possible because of the volume of interest in the player.

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Only clubs in the UK were in competition for the player, with Brexit meaning that foreign teams are unable to move for British players until they have turned 18.

Equally, it means that there is more competition for homegrown stars before they hit this milestone, so United will be particularly pleased to have captured the youngster.