endrick lyon
Real Madrid youngster Endrick has been linked with a shock move to the Premier League this week, with a South American football expert expecting the Spanish side to receive an imminent bid from one of their European rivals ahead of the new season.
Endrick broke scoring records as a youngster at Palmeiras - one of the world’s best academies, which has also produced players like Chelsea’s Estevao - and caught Real Madrid’s eye at just 14.
However, the usual pathway for a Brazilian joining Los Blancos hasn’t been as smooth for Endrick as it was for Vinicius Jr. or Rodrygo. Both made an almost immediate impact and remain mainstays in a squad that is always fighting for silverware.
Having only just turned 20 this year, there’s no doubt the winger has bags of talent that could come to good use at another team, where the competition for places isn’t quite so high. Now could be the perfect time to take a chance on him, with one of Real Madrid’s Champions League rivals reportedly ready to take the punt.
Premier League Club Preparing 'Imminent Bid' For Endrick
REUTERS/Mike Segar
South American football expert Tim Vickery told talkSPORT a substantial bid is being prepared by Liverpool, in the same week their moves for Paris Saint-Germain duo Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye stalled, while the Reds also saw their £50 million bid for Brighton's Yankuba Minteh rejected.
The Merseyside club has focussed most of their transfer efforts around bolstering their wide attacking options following the departure of Mohamed Salah, who joined Trabzonspor as a free agent, with new manager Andoni Iraola a devoted subscriber to wide formations and getting the best out of his wingers.
But while reports in Brazil expect them to make a move for Endrick, he has his doubts about whether a deal will be struck, as he explained:
Julian Alvarez
Julian Alvarez
He concluded by asking: "How high are Liverpool prepared to go? And would Real Madrid want to sell him to a competitor in the Champions League?"
Meanwhile, he was also left pondering whether the Reds' tactical outlay under Iraola would suit that of the Palmeiras youth academy graduate, who prefers to play more centrally in a position much closer to a second-striker. These positions, of course, are already taken up by British transfer record Alexander Isak and the currently-injured Hugo Ekitike.
Liverpool's Search For a Mohamed Salah Replacement Continues
Peter Powell vs Reuters
Liverpool have really stepped up their search for new wingers in recent weeks, but always seem to end up going down dead ends and cul-de-sacs. It now looks like Iraola will start Rio Ngumoha and Cody Gakpo on either flank when they begin their Premier League season against Newcastle on Sunday afternoon.
There is a belief that they will seal a big-money transfer before the deadline prevents them from doing any more business. But with the squad appearing thin on the ground in defence, and the midfield needing some extra help after the hierarchy sanctioned Curtis Jones’ move to Inter Milan, the biggest worry is that too much of their focus on a winger could leave the rest of the squad suffering.
And that could ultimately leave their new boss having to operate with one arm behind his back during his maiden voyage, in which his team will be expected to have a much more plainsailing route to Champions League qualification than last time out.