Palmeiras starlet Endrick has travelled around Europe for meetings with the top teams that want to sign him, 90min understands.
The 16-year-old is arguably the hottest prospect on the planet right now and has already racked up three goals and an assist for Brazilian champions Palmeiras, who tied Endrick down to a new long-term contract in July which includes a €60m release clause.
Global rules mean Endrick cannot move overseas until he turns 18 but he is free to agree to a transfer before then and there are suitors for his signature from all across Europe.
Sources have confirmed to 90min that Real Madrid, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are the three front-runners for the prodigy’s signature and all three clubs have hosted the teenager and his family in recent weeks in an attempt to encourage him to pick them.
Endrick’s list of suitors does not stop there, however, and the striker is believed to have visited a number of other clubs to evaluate all of his possible options ahead of what may well be the biggest decision of his career.
90min understands that Real Madrid’s chief scout, Juni Calafat – who discovered Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Federico Valverde on his various excursions to South America in the past, first scouted Endrick when he was 13 and has been putting in the groundwork ever since to try and steer him to the Santiago Bernabeu when the player turns 18.
Los Blancos are unsurprised by the rival interest in Endrick but remain confident that they can win the race for his signature, and Calafat has urged president Florentino Perez to close a deal as soon as possible.
However, Chelsea are prepared to push hard for his signature as part of co-owner Todd Boehly’s strategy to sign the game’s top youngsters.
Chelsea spent around £20m to sign Carney Chukwuemeka in the summer and also recruited Cesare Casadei for a further £12m, but Boehly is not done there and sees Endrick as perhaps the top young player anywhere in the world.
The race for Endrick’s signature will not be a cheap one. Palmeiras will allow the 16-year-old and his family to choose their next move but the club’s only demand is that his €60m release clause is met, which instantly rules out a number of teams.
A 16-year-old Vinicius Junior cost Real Madrid around €50m from Flamengo in 2017, with Rodrygo joining from Santos for €45m the following summer, and Palmeiras are prepared to demand that suitors exceed those figures to land Endrick.
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