The teenager will officially move to the Bernabeu next summer (Picture: Getty)
Brazilian wonderkid Endrick has confirmed that he gave serious consideration to joining Chelsea but ultimately had his heart set on a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid.
A year ago, Madrid agreed to pay a mammoth £52million to sign the then 16-year-old attacker, who cannot actually complete the move until he turns 18 in the middle of July next summer.
Although the 35-time Liga champions – who have a history of snapping up Brazil’s most talented youngsters, notably Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo – had tracked Endrick for some time, it briefly looked as though they might have other priorities as well as significant competition for his signature.
French giants Paris Saint-Germain made a rival play as did Chelsea, whose new owners have changed their transfer strategy in order to focus on buying young players with huge potential.
Endrick has now revealed that Real’s pursuit of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland gave him pause to consider other options, including a switch to Stamford Bridge, but Madrid was always his number one choice.
‘At one point, there was a lot of talk about Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe for Madrid and that was when there was strong interest from Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain,’ Endrick told The Athletic.
‘Of course, they are big and important teams. I am very interested in them and they would be excellent options.
Endrick watched Madrid beat Villarreal on Sunday (Picture: Getty)
‘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 obviously Chelsea is a strong brand that has won two Champions Leagues.
‘I was told that it rains a lot in London, but that wouldn’t be a problem because, as my father used to say, I always liked playing in the rain. But I always made it clear to my agent that my dream was Real Madrid.’
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On the prospect of one day playing alongside Mbappe at the Bernabeu, Endrick added: ‘Whenever there are high-level players within the team, the team will develop better, and consequently, it will be able to win in attitude, right?
‘So whatever is best for Real Madrid and the entire team, let it be done. I just want to be happy playing my football like I always wanted.
‘Obviously, if I can play with Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo or Kylian it will be something very good. But Florentino [Perez] and all the people around him know what to do which will be better for the club.’
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