Kebbie set for Barcelona after rejecting Whites

Starlet leaves Leeds

Manchester United are set to lose out to Barcelona once again, this time in the pursuit of one of the country's most exciting young players.

Leeds winger Elliott Kebbie has been long been tracked by Sir Alex Ferguson, and even spent time on trial at Old Trafford last year.

However the 16-year-old winger is on the brink of a move to the European champions after turning out for the Juvenil B team and spending time at the famous La Masia training site, according to The Sun.
The winger, who was born in Halifax, is blessed with phenomenal pace and was considered a bright sprinting prospect before choosing to focus fully on football.

Kebbie was due to move up to Leeds' famous Thorp Arch academy next season but has instead made the switch to Spain, for which the Elland Road outfit can expect a hefty fee.

Last year reports suggested Manchester United had agreed a £1million compensation package with Leeds for the Kebbie's signature.

A statement from the club, though, put paid to that. It said: 'Leeds can confirm that no bid has been received from Manchester United for Elliott Kebbie, despite reports in the national media, and nor would one be welcomed.'

Then chairman Ken Bates had also earlier told the club's official website: 'We hear about these big clubs stripping lower clubs and in fact we have lost three this summer.

'Manchester City have taken two of our 14-year-olds and Everton have nicked Luke Garbutt, our England youth international captain, and there is a tribunal about that on Monday.

'Both Manchester United and Everton came in for Elliott Kebbie who is 15 next week. He visited Manchester United and Everton and came back and said to his mum, who we were sat with on Friday, "I want to stay at Leeds", and he signed on.

'History shows that so many of these kids get star struck by big clubs who take them on and disappear again.'

Should Kebbie secure his switch to the Nou Camp, it would be form of revenge for the Spaniards, who consider the 'nicking' of stars like Cesc Fabregas and Gerard Pique by big clubs 'immoral'.