Chelsea were hugely disappointed when they lost Rio Ngumoha, who joined their academy as an eight-year-old before leaving for Liverpool in 2024. A tribunal subsequently ordered Liverpool to pay Chelsea a minimum of £2.8 million in compensation for Ngumoha’s training and development during his time at the club.
Now Ngumoha is starring for Liverpool’s first team, while Chelsea have continued with their own plans to build a squad capable of competing at the highest level.
Sources close to the club say Chelsea have known about Gabriel for a long time and now see his decision to ask Manchester United to cancel his academy registration as an unexpected chance to bring him to Stamford Bridge.
Listen to Flashscore News!
Selected editorial stories, including this article, are also available as audio. Listen and follow on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Chelsea know it will be a long shot - particularly as Gabriel is also attracting serious interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona, with both Spanish giants having held talks with his representatives. Bayern Munich are in the frame as well.
The 15-year-old is continuing to weigh up his options, while United have become increasingly concerned about their ability to convince him to stay.
For Chelsea, though, there is an added significance to the opportunity.
There is a feeling that Ngumoha would have featured heavily in their plans over the coming years and that place could instead be filled by the exciting figure of Gabriel.
Gabriel could offer Chelsea another chance to secure one of the most highly regarded young players in his age group before he reaches the senior game.
The club continued to work on the possibility last week despite knowing they face competition from two of the biggest clubs in world football.
For United, the situation is uncomfortable, and they are disappointed to have found themselves in such a difficult position with one of their most highly rated young players.
Dean Jones has been a transfer news and football insider for Flashscore since 2025, as well as a journalist for leading UK newspapers and websites over the past 20 years, establishing himself as an authoritative and trusted voice in the industry.
