A host of European giants are battling to land ‘the new Neymar’ (Picture: Getty)
Chelsea are one of three European giants battling to sign Brazilian teenage sensation Endrick with the forward’s dad revealing that a decision over his future will be made in the coming months.
The 16-year-old Palmeiras starlet has netted three times and laid on one assist in just 180 minutes of action in the Brazilian top-flight this season – a key contribution every 45 minutes.
He has already been dubbed ‘the new Neymar’ in his homeland and has been tipped to make an early move to Europe just like a host of other young Brazilians before him.
Real Madrid have long been considered the frontrunners for his signature and have a very well-established recruitment network in South America, with the likes of Federico Valverde, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo all moving to the Bernabeu as teenagers.
However, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Chelsea are ‘pushing hard’ to sign Endrick and are looking to beat Real Madrid to his signature.
Any deal would be a massive long-term investment, with Palmeiras likely to demand that his €60million (£52.5m) release clause is met in full.
Endrick looks like a massive talent in the making (Picture: Getty)
That would be an enormous outlay for such a young player, particularly given that he only made his senior debut last month, while he would not actually be able to move to Europe until 2024.
His record at youth level is outstanding, however, and scouts across Europe are convinced he can be the next big star to leave Brazil – a reputation that was only enhanced when he netted five times in four Under-17 matches against Mexico, England, Argentina and the Netherlands.
Not content with already having Neymar on their books, Paris Saint-Germain are also in the mix to sign Endrick.
The teenager’s father, Douglas, recently played down suggestions that the forward had already agreed a move to Real Madrid and says he will evaluate all his offers in the coming weeks and months.
‘There’s nothing decided for Real Madrid or any other club. We’ve no preference yet,’ revealed Endrick’s dad.
‘We’ll decide in the next months, the club that will pay what Palmeiras want and show us the best technical project for Endrick, will sign the boy.’
Chelsea’s new owners have shown a clear desire to sign young, emerging talents and have been looking to get their business done early, with the Blues reported to have already wrapped up a deal for RB Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku.
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A host of European giants are battling to land ‘the new Neymar’.
