Endrick made his mark on the international football stage last night with a memorable goal for Brazil as they beat England 1-0 at Wembley Stadium, with the 17-year-old sensation becoming the youngest ever player to score in a competitive game at the famous ground.
Of course, it is well known by now that Endrick will become a Real Madrid player when he turns 18 this July, with Los Blancos putting together one of the most exciting young squads in world football as the Brazilian prepares to link up with other elite talents like Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior and Eduardo Camavinga.
But what else could’ve been for Endrick? You may remember various transfer rumours from not so long ago about Chelsea and other clubs also being in the frame for the Palmeiras wonderkid, but how close was a deal?
Endrick transfer: Chelsea strongly linked, but Real Madrid was always his preference
At one point, Chelsea were being very strongly linked with Endrick, as ESPN claimed the Blues were prepared to trigger his release clause, and that Stamford Bridge was also emerging as the player’s favoured destination.
It makes sense that CFC may have been viewed as an exciting potential destination for a young player of this calibre, but at the same time, it’s also clear the club have gone downhill in recent times, so perhaps no longer have quite the same pull that they used to when they were serious challengers for the biggest trophies.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, are always going to have that aura about them, and it seems they were indeed his preference all along, according to what Fabrizio Romano exclusively told CaughtOffside as part of his Daily Briefing column.
“Endrick only wanted to go to Real Madrid … so a deal with PSG didn’t work out,” Romano told us a few months ago.
“There were other possibilities as well, however, as Chelsea, around one year ago, also tried to sign Endrick. People at the club were monitoring Endrick and they tried to approach the player’s side to convince him to join, even inviting his family to London to have the opportunity to get a feel for Chelsea’s project.
“Still, Endrick’s dream was to play for Real Madrid, and the player’s wish is crucial in these situations – club preference always makes the difference. It was not about Chelsea, PSG or money – he simply wanted to go to Real Madrid and it was his only priority.”