How Mbappe & Haaland ALMOST helped Chelsea sign Endrick

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 19 Dec 2023 16:10 GMT
• 3 min read

Palmeiras wonderkid Endrick has admitted that he was “attracted” by Chelsea’s interest before he agreed to join Real Madrid, with Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe playing a role in him nearly choosing Stamford Bridge over the Santiago Bernabeu.

Endrick will join Real Madrid for a reported €60 million when he turns 18 next year after Los Blancos reached an agreement to sign the teenager in early 2023.

He will follow in the footsteps of Viniciur Junior and Rodrygo, both of whom left Brazil to join Real Madrid in the late 2010s.

However, the 17-year-old was also tempted by interest from Chelsea and PSG, and rumours of Haaland and Mbappe joining Real Madrid nearly persuaded him to ignore the attraction of Los Blancos.

How Endrick came close to rejecting Real Madrid for Chelsea or PSG

During an interview with The Athletic, Endrick was asked about interest from Chelsea following recent comments from his father, Douglas Ramos.

“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 Mario Cortegana.

“Of course, they are big and important teams. I am very interested in them and they would be excellent 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 obviously Chelsea is a strong brand that has won two Champions Leagues.”

He continued: “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.”

Endrick visited Real Madrid’s training facility last week and was introduced to the players who will become his team-mates in 2024.