Out-of-favour Real Madrid starlet Endrick has been linked with a shock move to the Premier League despite reports of a proposed Lyon loan switch.
Endrick, 19, has managed just 14 minutes for Real Madrid since Xabi Alonso replaced Carlo Ancelotti as head coach following the 2024/25 campaign.
The teenager arrived from Palmeiras in the summer of 2024 with an already glowing reputation, but has failed to nail down a starting spot at Los Blancos despite scoring seven times during 37 appearances in his maiden campaign with the Spanish giants.
The youngster, who boasts 14 caps for Brazil, recently lost his place in the Selecao squad with Ancelotti now head coach of the South American nation. Endrick missed out on a spot in the Brazil squad in the last four international windows.
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In order to regain his Brazil place ahead of the 2026 World Cup, the 19-year-old needs to be playing regular football, and this may come via a loan switch to Ligue 1 side Lyon.
BBC Sport reports that Real and Lyon are in “advanced talks” regarding a loan deal in January. Sources have suggested that the deal, which would run until the end of the current season, is close to being finalised.
But contrary reports from Shoot have suggested that Chelsea are attempting to hijack the player’s proposed move to France, with the west London club supposedly having enquired about the player’s availability.
If he were to join Chelsea, Endrick would link up with his Brazilian counterparts Andrey Santos, Estevao, and Joao Pedro at Stamford Bridge.
But the question remains, why has Endrick hardly featured this season?
Speaking in late October, Alonso addressed the matter and claimed that he’d “like him to have played already” before putting his absence down to the fact that Real had been involved in “tight” matches. The Basque then added that “he’s training well”.
Spanish football expert Guillem Balague also suggested that Endrick has struggled to “get into the dynamic of the team” under Alonso’s system.
"Alonso recognises he has a good relationship with the goal; it is easy for him to score, but there are priorities," Balague told BBC Sport.
"Gonzalo Garcia gives him more because he holds the ball well. He is more linked to the team, whereas Endrick is a finisher and hasn't managed to get into the dynamics of the team.
"A lot of things suggest he is not ready for now, but he can be in the near future. He will be a regular goalscorer, but you start to wonder if the players ahead of him will get in his way. He is at this stage of his career where he becomes a Real Madrid player or a very good professional somewhere else."
Topics: Endrick, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Transfer News, Premier League, Football, Lyon
Luke Davies