Harry who?! Watkins makes England case as Kane watches on

How it feels to beat Lionel Messi

Why Man Utd & Liverpool both want Argentine teen Soler

Top 25 African players of the 21st century - ranked

Vini's nightmare goes on as Brazil drop more WCQ points

Mendes responds to Ronaldo criticism of Portugal players

Raphinha surprises wonderkid Yamal with £10k gold iPhone

'Please leave him alone!' - Deschamps sends out Mbappe plea

Real Madrid midfielder announces shock retirement in emotional letter

Rodri admits he wouldn't have even chosen Vinicius Jr. as Ballon d'Or runner-up

‘Can't think long term’ – Ronaldo admits he may not reach 1,000 goals

Endrick set to be offered 'escape route' out of Real Madrid

Twellman reportedly investigated for physical altercation

Manchester City

Manchester United

Liverpool

Arsenal

Chelsea

Other

Article continues belowArticle continues belowArticle continues below<script type="application/json" data-placement="fcplayer-semantic">{"type":"fcplayer-semantic","data":{"embedCode":"//cdn.fcp.codes/embed-code-template/embed-code-template.js#SEMANTIC_5704afb8-c10b-4ba5-9cb4-d7fb6098ef90"}}</script><ul><li>Endrick to join Real after 18th birthday</li><li>Was at centre of tug-of-war in 2022</li><li>Came mightily close to joining Chelsea</li></ul>

'The deal was agreed' - What could have been for Chelsea! Endrick's father reveals how close Palmeiras prodigy came to joining the Blues before choosing Real Madrid transfer

The prodigious striker <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/explained-why-endrick-cant-join-real-madrid-until-2024/blt21b6ee4a0e1372b7" target="_blank">will officially sign with Los Blancos in the summer once he turns 18,</a> per FIFA regulations, but he could easily have been on his way to west London. Endrick and his family even visited the Blues' Cobham training ground in 2022 and had begun to envision their lives in England, even down to their church, but a deal was scuppered by Palmeiras' lofty £51 million ($64m) valuation of the then-16-year-old. <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/real-madrid-sign-endrick-palmeiras-agree-60m-deal-brazilian-wonderkid/blt922469cebb1092ab" target="_blank">Real Madrid then pounced, agreeing to sign him for that fee in December 2022</a> to see off competition from Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Speaking to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/dec/10/endrick-i-have-fun-playing-football-thats-what-i-want-to-do-in-my-life" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>, Endrick's father, Douglas, revealed his son could so easily have been destined for Stamford Bridge instead."I have to admit I do not like the cold but my wife and Endrick do," he said. "Endrick really likes playing in the rain. So we received an invitation from Chelsea, from the owner, and we went there to see the club and the country. We watched Chelsea play Arsenal and we got to see the coach, the facilities, Jorginho, Cesar Azpilicueta and Thiago Silva."They explained everything to us. They introduced us to the person who would help us settle in. She showed us the house we would live in, the school Endrick would go to, the church we would attend. Everything was right with us and Chelsea."I can’t say 100% because I hadn’t signed, but the deal was agreed. I had already got it into my head that I would live in London with all that cold weather. But then at night, my son’s manager phoned and said that the Chelsea owner had backed out of the deal because the price they would have to pay for Endrick would inflate the market. It was €60m (£51m/$64m) for a 16-year-old boy who would only arrive in the country almost two years later."Endrick himself, added: "I was very close. My parents really liked London and everyone speaks very highly of it."

WHAT ENDRICK'S FATHER SAID

Chelsea may now be ruing their decision, with <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/endrick-rollercoaster-season-brazilian-wonderkid-closer-real-madrid-arrival/blt63b491f00ace68dd#cs945c91b0bdc22479" target="_blank">Endrick going on to fire his side to the Brasilerao title</a> earlier this month as he hit double figures in Serie A, and<a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/endrick-real-madrid-brazil-squad-world-cup-qualifiers-colombia-argentina-richarlison/blt9923cb0a95b59aba" target="_blank"> earning a senior Brazil call-up</a> despite his tender years - beginning to demonstrate his full potential as he prepares to move to Madrid in the summer.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Endrick will be enjoying some well-earned rest having played a key role in Palmeiras' title win. However, with domestic football resuming in April in Brazil, the teenager faces the strange scenario of starting a new season with Palmeiras before leaving for Madrid - and another pre-season there - once his contract begins.

WHAT NEXT FOR ENDRICK?

'The deal was agreed' - What could have been for Chelsea! Endrick's father reveals how close Palmeiras prodigy came to joining the Blues before choosing Real Madrid transfer | Goal.com

Endrick is gearing up to join Real Madrid from Palmeiras in 2024, but his father has revealed just how close he came to signing for Chelsea instead.

&apos;The deal was agreed&apos; - What could have been for Chelsea! Endrick&apos;s father reveals how close Palmeiras prodigy came to joining the Blues before choosing Real Madrid transfer