Real Madrid ruled out of race for €20 million Chelsea target

It is no secret that Real Madrid could do with more options up front. Their only recognised striker in the squad right now is Joselu, who is only on a season-long loan from Espanyol. The Spanish international has done well with the opportunities that he has been given but most people recognise that he is only a short-term solution.

The likes of Jude Bellingham and more recently, Rodrygo, have contributed heavily in front of goal. Sooner or later, the club will need to find a long-term number 9.

They have been linked with high-profile names like Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Victor Osimhen and more. But Real Madrid are rumoured to hold an interest in some outside-of-the-box strikers as well.

One of them being Marcos Leonardo of Santos. The 20-year-old has been one of the best strikers in Brazil this season. Only four players have scored more than him in the Brazilian Serie A in this campaign and nobody younger than him. It is believed that he will be on his way to Europe soon.

Real Madrid ruled out of race for €20 million Chelsea target

Several top European clubs like Real Madrid, Chelsea, Arsenal, Newcastle United and more have been linked with Leonardo. In the case of Los Blancos, it does not look like a move is on the cards though.

As tweeted out by Madrid Universal, Fabrizio Romano said about the situation involving Leonardo and Real Madrid:

"“Marcos Leonardo? Real Madrid will not go for that type of striker. They are more than happy with Endrick who will arrive in 2024.”"

Of course, Real Madrid already have a deal in place with Palmeiras for Endrick, who will be arriving in the Spanish capital in the summer of 2024. The 17-year-old has been showing great promise recently and even appeared for the Brazilian national team.

As a result, it would make sense for Real Madrid to pass up on other young strikers and concentrate on developing Endrick. He has been compared to Ronaldo Nazario. That is a sky-high ceiling, to say the least.