Real Madrid have had a great record when it comes to identifying and signing Brazilian wonderkids, and then developing them into first-team superstars at Santiago Bernabeu. The likes of Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo are two of their most important players right now. And there are hopes that Endrick will follow the same path.
Still just 17 years of age, Real Madrid agreed a deal with Palmeiras to sign Endrick last year. The transfer package is believed to be around €60 million, a significant figure for a player of his experience.
It is already looking like a masterstroke. Endrick recently won the Brazilian Serie A title with Palmeiras and scored 11 goals in the league, surpassing Neymar's tally in the process. Only the great Ronaldo Nazario had managed more in a season before turning 18.
Endrick will arrive at Real Madrid next summer and expectations are clearly very high. Before agreeing to join Los Blancos, he had seemed close to a move to Chelsea though.
€60 million Real Madrid signing admits he was interested in Chelsea
As reported by The Athletic, Endrick said:
"At one point, there was a lot of talk about Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe for Madrid and that was when there was strong interest from Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.
“Of course, they are big and important teams. I am very interested in them and they would be excellent options. I was attracted by the Premier League, the city of London and the fact that English is the economically dominant language in the world. And obviously Chelsea is a strong brand that has won two Champions Leagues.
“I was told that it rains a lot in London, but that wouldn’t be a problem because, as my father used to say, I always liked playing in the rain. But I always made it clear to my agent that my dream was Real Madrid.
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There is still a lot of talk about Mbappe or Haaland being signed by Real Madrid. Of course, a signing of that magnitude might have an effect on Endrick's development, because all of them play in the same area of the pitch.
Mbappe's current deal with PSG runs out next summer. And it is believed that Real Madrid will try to sign him on a pre-contract agreement in January.
Rumours suggest that if a deal cannot be reached with Mbappe, then they will try to sign Haaland instead. Let's see what happens in that regard.
What would a move for either Mbappe or Haaland mean for Endrick? Perhaps not a lot. Real Madrid have a great track record of developing youngsters and clearly know what they are doing.