Brazilian wonder kid Endrick was set to sign for Chelsea before the club had a late change of heart.
That’s according to the 17-year-old’s father, who will instead see his son lining up for Real Madrid next year.
The striker, who recently became a fully-fledged Brazil international, signed for the LaLiga side in a £52million deal in December 2011, and he will head to the Bernabeu in July.
That’s after a season of stunning crowds for Palmeiras with an incredible variety of goals that have quickly seen him become one of football’s top young prospects.
Chelsea are very adept at signing top prospects, and in November 2022 invited a 16-year-old Endrick to their Cobham training ground, winning over both the player and his parents, despite the weather.
Speaking to The Guardian, Endrick’s father Douglas said: “I have to admit I do not like the cold but my wife and Endrick do. 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, César 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 per cent 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 [£51.4m] for a 16-year-old boy who would only arrive in the country almost two years later.”
Adding to his father’s comments, Endrick said: “I was very close. My parents really liked London and everyone speaks very highly of it.”
Chelsea eventually did make moves in Brazil, landing Santos duo Deivid Washington and Angelo as well as Vasco da Gama’s Andrey Santos, but none of the three youngsters are yet to have the impact Endrick is expected to in Madrid.
Source: Talk Sport