Five Potential Destinations for Endrick—Ranked

Real Madrid’s Brazilian striker has spoken openly about his future.

Endrick has opened the door up to another loan move. | OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE/AFP/Getty Images

Real Madrid’s talented striker Endrick has opened himself up to another loan move away from the Spanish capital after impressing for Lyon in the second half of the current campaign.

Endrick racked up as many red cards as starts (one of each) for Real Madrid under Xabi Alonso before he was sent out to the Ligue 1 side in January. Alonso may have since left his post at Madrid in a far more permanent manner but the Brazilian forward is well aware that his immediate future may also lie beyond the Bernabéu.

“If I have to return to Real Madrid, I’ll go back there gladly,” Endrick told CANAL+ Foot over the weekend. “If I have to go elsewhere, I’ll go elsewhere.”

There are no shortage of suitors for a 19-year-old senior Brazil international who has averaged a goal or an assist every 106 minutes during his embryonic career in Europe. Even the Premier League pairing of Manchester United and Arsenal have been fancifully linked with the teenage phenom.

While those links may not be the most compelling, Endrick has a wealth of options open to him, particularly if he impresses for Brazil at this summer’s World Cup.

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5. Juventus

Juventus could be on the lookout for a new striker. | Nicolò Campo/LightRocket/Getty Images

Juventus’ struggles this season have revolved around finding a reliable goalscorer. The Old Lady’s young star winger Kenan Yıldız is the only player with more than six league goals at this advanced stage of the season. However, this is not for a lack of quantity—the quality of the various strikers on the club’s books is less certain.

Jonathan David (six goals), Loïs Openda (one) and Dušan Vlahović (three) can match Yıldız’s tally of 10 Serie A goals between them. Luciano Spalletti has even taken to shunting U.S. men’s national team midfielder Weston McKennie upfront.

Vlahović may soon take his old-school brand of penalty box poaching elsewhere as negotiations over a contract extension continue to rage on with just weeks of the Serbia international’s deal left to run. Juve could do a lot worse than Endrick as a cheaper and stylistically very similar replacement for Vlahović. The only thing holding this deal back is the lack of any whisper of it actually taking place.

Likelihood: 1/10

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4. Man Utd

Manchester United already have one mercurial striker. | Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images.

Manchester United have a lot of needs to address over the summer. Left wing, central midfield and center back all appear to be higher up the pecking order than another trigger-happy striker.

Benjamin Šeško fits the club’s brief of a raw forward with immense potential and sporadic end product. If United were to recruit a new striker, they may be inclined to go for a more experienced head to help Šeško ease into the role. There has been talk of a potential push for Robert Lewandowski while former academy graduate Danny Welbeck has been a name on the radar in the past.

One of the few points working in Endrick’s favor regarding a move to Manchester is the weather he would encounter. “Endrick really likes playing in the rain,” his father once revealed.

Likelihood: 2/10

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3. Arsenal

Mikel Arteta has been known to use Real Madrid loanees before. | Visionhaus/Getty Images

Arsenal’s search for a striker goes on.

On the face of it, Viktor Gyökeres’s return of 18 goals across all competitions appears to be nothing to sniff at. However, a gentle probing of those numbers exposes the invisible fabric of the Emperor’s new clothes. The summer recruit hasn’t scored a single non-penalty goal against any of the Premier League’s top-half teams and hasn’t even forced a save out of the goalkeeper’s from the division’s top eight.

Endrick has directly contributed to five goals across three appearances against Marseille, Monaco and Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain during his fleeting loan spell at Lyon.

Mikel Arteta has gratefully welcomed Real Madrid loanees Dani Ceballos and Martin Ødegaard to the Emirates over the years and may be tempted to take a punt on another this summer.

Likelihood: 3/10

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2. Real Madrid

Endrick still has a Real Madrid contract until 2030. | Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

As Endrick admitted himself, he would “gladly” return to Real Madrid, the club he grew up supporting as a child.

Carlo Ancelotti valued Endrick’s talent but was compelled to rely upon senior figures during his unhappy overlap with the youngster last season. Alonso never even gave him a chance. It remains to be seen who will be in the dugout at the Bernabéu next season, but a new face will offer Endrick a fresh chance at realizing his dream.

Likelihood: 7/10

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1. Lyon

Endrick is grateful to Lyon. | Sathire Kelpa/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

The main issue for Endrick at Real Madrid is playing time. “Endrick has a saying that his playground is the soccer field,” the striker’s father told SportsCenter Brasil in April. “And at Madrid, in a way, they took that playground away from him. All he wants is to play soccer.”

Kylian Mbappé’s status as the undisputed starter will always limit Endrick’s minutes, while Gonzalo García climbed above him in the club’s pecking order at last summer’s Club World Cup. After a fleeting tête-à-tête with Lyon boss Paulo Fonseca, Endrick has carved out a regular starting spot for himself in France.

Lyon’s chances of retaining the loanee for another year will only be boosted if they can qualify for the Champions League. Currently sat in fourth (the final qualification slot) with three games of the campaign to play, Lyon will likely be battling Rennes and Marseille until the final day.

Likelihood: 9/10

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