Chelsea has been dealt a new setback in their pursuit of Endrick. As reported by Fabrizio Romano, the Brazilian wonderkid reportedly agreed to a move to Real Madrid in a lucrative deal for a 16-year-old.
The Palmeiras forward is one of the most sought-after young players in football, with Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, and Barcelona among the teams vying for his services. Several elite clubs want to sign him to a contract even though he cannot leave his present club Palmeiras until 2024.
In November, Chelsea stepped up their efforts to lure the wonderkid, inviting his family to the team’s Cobham training facility and even taking the help of Brazilian centre-back Thiago Silva to promote the initiative.
Endrick had reportedly expressed interest in joining the Blues after that trip, but he changed his mind after meeting with Real Madrid. Real Madrid, the most dominant club in Spain, has reached a verbal contract agreement with the Brazilian talent.
▫️ Endrick to Real Madrid is 100% verbally agreed, as revealed today.
▫️ Real have no guarantees to make deal official this weekend.
▫️ It could take more days to resolve with FIFA and then sign documents.
▫️ Expectation is for process to be completed within December.
⚪️🇧🇷🤝🏻 pic.twitter.com/wRqHZVsrRE
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 8, 2022
The Los Blancos are now waiting for the player to sign, and Chelsea will be unhappy with the way things have unfolded for them. Real Madrid is rumoured to pay his €60 million release clause, with bonuses and add-ons contributing to a percentage of that sum.
In recent years, the Spanish Champions has acquired two of Brazil’s top wonderkids under similar circumstances. In 2017, Vinicius Jr. was acquired by Real Madrid from Flamengo for a sum of around €46 million. They signed Santos’ Rodrygo in 2018, and both are now important players under Carlo Ancelotti.
Last month, French club PSG made an opening bid of €45 million for Endrick, but Palmeiras immediately rejected it. Endrick made his senior debut in October and has since scored three goals for the team creating a record in the process.
