Fabrizio Romano has discussed the Endrick Real Madrid transfer saga in his latest CaughtOffside column via Substack.
The Brazilian wonderkid looks to be one of the most exciting prospects in world football right now, and there’s been a big race to win the race for his signature.
Romano has previously explained how it’s been a three-horse race between Chelsea, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain to sign Endrick, and that race now appears to be reaching its conclusion.
According to Romano, Real Madrid are now the favourites to sign the 16-year-old, though he doesn’t expect this to affect any potential deal for Kylian Mbappe due to the different age profile of the players.
“Real Madrid are closing in on the signing of Endrick from Palmeiras. PSG have left the race for the Brazilian teenager after seeing a bid turned down by Palmeiras,” Romano said.
“Meanwhile, Real Madrid have agreed personal terms and are discussing the details of the contract.
“Real Madrid are in pole position to get this deal done for a package worth €70m, they are working on the final details and hope to get it done soon.
“Some fans have asked me about how this affects potential interest in Kylian Mbappe, but I don’t see links between Mbappe and Endrick, to be honest. Mbappe is world class while Endrick is a top talent for the future who won’t arrive at Real Madrid before 2024.”
Romano added that Chelsea have plenty of other young players as alternatives on their radar, so Blues fans needn’t be too disappointed that this deal now looks to have slipped away from them.
“As I’ve mentioned in my video above, PSG are out of the race to sign Endrick and Real Madrid are the clear favourites now, so what about Chelsea?” Romano wrote.
“Endrick was a target for Chelsea but they have many others in the list, – they are following many top young players around the world, albeit with nothing imminent.
“Also, they will sign Christopher Nkunku who should be a superb addition to the squad, so that’s something for Blues fans to look forward to.”