Endrick's father reveals why Chelsea rejected Palmeiras teenager before Real Madrid came

Jacque Talbot

• Updated: 11 Dec 2023 09:41 GMT
• 3 min read

Endrick’s father has revealed how close Chelsea were to snapping up the teenager.

The 17-year-old forward will officially join Real Madrid next year after a deal worth €70 million was agreed with Brazilain outfit Palmeiras.

However, Los Blancos were almost beaten to the punch by the Blues following their transfer recruitment strategy under owner Todd Boehly.

Chelsea's onus is on securing some of the best young players around, hence their admiration for Endrick.

But Real Madrid managed to secure the deal for the youngster.

His father revealed: “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, Cesar 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.

Why did Chelsea pull out of the deal?

He continued: “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.”

It is thought, too, that Paris Saint-Germain were also very keen on signing Endrick and his Palmeiras team-mate Estevao. But the Parisians saw a €93m combined bid for the pair rejected - with Palmeiras wanting to retain Estavio for a little while longer before selling him in the future.

adrid after being shown facilities claims teenager's father