Endrick is seriously weighing up a move away from Real Madrid, according to a press report, with the signing of Carlos Espi tipping the balance. The Brazilian wants a club playing in Europe and a guaranteed starting spot.
Espi's arrival has forced his hand. After a positive spell at Lyon last season that earned him a place at the World Cup, Endrick is now open to another loan and already listening to offers.
The newspaper "AS" reports that Jose Mourinho left the decision in the Brazilian's hands, though the player already understands his role. It echoes the situation with Gonzalo Garcia, whom Mourinho wanted to keep. Garcia initially resisted any move, but Mourinho was blunt about the impossibility of a starting berth.
Garcia fitted Mourinho's profile perfectly: a striker more positionally disciplined than Mbappe, strong in the air, an ideal deputy for the Frenchman. Once his move to Fulham was confirmed, Mourinho asked to sign Espi.
The Portuguese coach sees Endrick as closer to a centre-forward than the right-wing role he filled at Lyon, but he also accepts the Brazilian is no out-and-out number 9.
That leaves the 20-year-old as the third choice in attack, behind Mbappe and Espi. Options are stacked on the right too, with Diomande signed and Brahim Diaz, Bernardo Silva and even Rodrygo, once fit, all in the mix. The former Palmeiras man's future looks bleak.
Offers are already landing, and Endrick is studying which best suits his needs before deciding. If he leaves this season, he wants a club in European competition, ideally the Champions League, that hands him the starting striker's role. Lyon offered exactly that, and it appealed to him. In the French league, he shone in the first half of the season, scoring 8 goals and providing 7 assists in 21 matches.
Roma and Aston Villa have now expressed interest, and both meet the conditions Endrick has laid down.
A loan suits Real Madrid perfectly. Without one, the club would risk squandering a huge investment made two years ago, when it signed the Palmeiras striker for 35 million euros plus 25 million in add-ons.
Real Madrid have spent close to 80 million euros on the player so far, counting the fee, commissions, salary and bonuses. That outlay demands careful handling. To grease the wheels of a loan, the club is considering covering part of his salary, which tops 5 million euros net a year, much as it did with Mastantuono.