Endrick, who joined Real Madrid, admitted he was “very interested” in a move to Chelsea as he wanted to try his luck in the Premier League.
The highly sought-after Brazilian striker is expected to join Real Madrid as soon as he turns 18 this summer, once all FIFA rules have been followed. He was spotted by several European giants, including Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Chelsea, and the lure of the Premier League almost led him to sign for the Blues. Additionally, continued links with Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé to Los Blancos have also forced him to think twice before agreeing to sign on the dotted line.
He told The Athletic: “At one point there was a lot of talk about Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé for Madrid and that was when there was strong interest from Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain. Of course, they are big, important teams. I’m very interested in them and they would be great 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 of course, Chelsea is a strong brand that has won two Champions Leagues.
“I was told it rained a lot in London, but that wasn’t a problem because, as my father said, I always loved playing in the rain. But I always made it clear to my agent that my dream was Real Madrid (…) I just want to be happy playing football like I always wanted. Obviously, if I can play with Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo or Kylian (Mbappé), it will be something very good. But Florentino and all the people around him know what to do, what will be best for the club. Whenever there are top players in the team, the team will develop better,” added the young center forward.
Chelsea went to great lengths to recruit Endrick and invited him to tour the club’s facilities. Endrick even attended a London derby between the Blues and Arsenal, but the Premier League side pulled out of the deal at the eleventh hour because they weren’t confident of matching Palmeiras’ huge valuation , which amounted to 60 million euros sterling. This allowed Real Madrid to seize the player by agreeing to pay this release clause.
Endrick finished Brazil’s Serie A campaign in dazzling form and was instrumental in his side winning the title at the start of December. He has 14 goals in 31 matches for Palmeiras in 2023 and can boast of winning the Supercopa do Brasil and the Campeonato Paulista this year.
