José Mourinho has told Real Madrid's board to keep Endrick rather than send him out on loan, rejecting interest from Roma and Aston Villa as the Brazilian forward arrives at pre-season with a genuine chance to establish himself under the club's new coach, ONE reports.
Both Roma and Aston Villa had approached Madrid about a season-long loan for the 20-year-old before the transfer window closes, according to the report, with the Premier League club understood to have pushed hardest for a deal. Mourinho's intervention has, for now, closed that door.
Club president Florentino Pérez has fully backed the decision, ONE says, having held a soft spot for Endrick since Madrid moved for him as a Palmeiras teenager three years ago.
The financial numbers explain some of that attachment. Madrid agreed a €35 million fixed fee plus up to €25 million in add-ons for Endrick; factoring in agent fees, salary and bonuses paid since, ONE puts the club's total outlay at more than €80 million.
Faith in the forward has been rebuilt by his form on loan at Lyon last season, where he scored eight goals and set up five more in 21 appearances, according to ONE — a run that helped earn him a place in Brazil's squad at this year's World Cup.
Mourinho reportedly sees Endrick as a tactically flexible option who can play as a conventional centre-forward or drift wide right and cut inside, the role in which he first made his name at Palmeiras.
That versatility does not guarantee minutes. Endrick will still have to compete on merit with the rest of Madrid's forward line for a regular starting place this season, ONE notes.
The door has not been shut completely — ONE reports Endrick has not ruled out revisiting a loan move in January if regular first-team football fails to materialise once the season is under way.
It amounts to Mourinho's first significant call on Endrick's future since taking charge at the Bernabéu, and a signal that the Portuguese wants to judge the Brazilian in training and matches before deciding whether he has a role to play in Madrid's season.
