“We received an invitation from Chelsea" - Real Madrid bound superstar's father reveals player nearly joined the PL giants
Endrick's father Douglas has revealed that his son was close to joining Chelsea before he signed for Real Madrid. He claims that the Blues pulled out of the deal after agreeing to a €60 million deal for the 17-year-old.
Douglas added that the Brazilian youngster visited Chelsea and was shown around the ground, training center, and met the coach in 2022. He was quoted by MadridXtra as saying:
"We received an invitation from Chelsea, from the owner, and we went there to see the club and the country. We saw Chelsea play against Arsenal and we had the opportunity to see the coach, the facilities, Jorginho, César Azpilicueta and Thiago Silva. They explained everything to us. We were introduced to the person who would help us settle in. She showed us the house we would live in, the school that Endrick would attend, the church we would attend. Everything was in order for us and Chelsea."
He added:
"However, everything was twisted at the last moment: I can't say 100% because I hadn't signed yet, but the agreement was closed. I had already thought that I would live in London with all that cold weather. But then, at night, my son's representative called and said that the owner of Chelsea withdrew from the deal because the price they would have to pay for Endrick would inflate the market. It was €60m in total for a 16-year-old boy who would arrive in the country almost two years later. Then Real Madrid arrived."
Real Madrid swooped in later and signed Endrick for €70 million. The Brazilian is still with Palmeiras and will move to Santiago Bernabeu in 2024.
Endrick seals title for Palmeiras ahead of Real Madrid move
Endrick helped Palmeiras seal their Serie A title earlier this month after scoring in the 1-1 draw against Cruzeiro. The 17-year-old will be heading to Real Madrid next summer and it was his final full season with the Brazilian side.
The teenager has scored 11 goals this season and most of them have come off the bench. The goal against Cruzeiro also came in the final 21 minutes of the game he played.
The new Real Madrid signing saw Endrick become the youngest debutant for Brazil since Ronaldo Nazario in 1994. He has scored a whopping 165 goals in 169 matches for the Palmeiras youth side.