Fabrizio Romano has provided some exclusive insight into why Chelsea were never likely to be able to beat Real Madrid to the transfer of Brazilian wonderkid forward Endrick.
The talented 17-year-old is one of the most exciting prospects in world football right now, and Romano has reported a lot on his situation since his breakthrough with Palmeiras.
Endrick is set to move to Real Madrid next summer, as revealed by Romano, but it seems Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain also tried their best to try to win the race for his signature before he ended up committing to a move to the Bernabeu.
Chelsea fans would surely have loved to see Endrick heading to Stamford Bridge, but it looks like they were always up against it, according to Romano in his conversation with CaughtOffside for his exclusive Daily Briefing column.
The journalist says the player’s preference is always crucial in these sagas, with Endrick always keen to move to Real Madrid over anyone else, meaning Chelsea never stood a chance of being able to do a deal, even if they offered more money or anything like that.
“Endrick only wanted to go to Real Madrid … so a deal with PSG didn’t work out,” Romano said.
“There were other possibilities as well, however, as Chelsea, around one year ago, also tried to sign Endrick. People at the club were monitoring Endrick and they tried to approach the player’s side to convince him to join, even inviting his family to London to have the opportunity to get a feel for Chelsea’s project.
“Still, Endrick’s dream was to play for Real Madrid, and the player’s wish is crucial in these situations – club preference always makes the difference. It was not about Chelsea, PSG or money – he simply wanted to go to Real Madrid and it was his only priority.”