Manchester United are reportedly leading the race to sign Real Madrid sensation Endrick, aiming to beat former boss Ruben Amorim and AC Milan to the Brazilian's signature.
The 20-year-old attracted interest from several of Europe's top clubs during the summer transfer window but remained in the Spanish capital. However, much like the early stages of his Real career, following his £50million switch from Palmeiras in 2022, Endrick has found game time hard to come by in the 2026/27 campaign so far.
Limited minutes and January exit talk
An injury ruled him out of the opening four La Liga fixtures, and since his return in early September, he has managed just one substitute appearance lasting four minutes. With Arda Guler, Brahim Diaz and Carlos Espi appearing to rank above him in the hierarchy, a January departure is certainly on the cards.
Liverpool, Arsenal, AS Roma and Borussia Dortmund have all been mentioned as potential suitors, but recent reports suggest it could come down to a straight fight between United and Milan should he secure a mid-season exit.
United's financial appeal
According to Fichajes, United are keen to land the Brazilian and believe they can lure him with a more lucrative package than any offer from Italy. The report also claims United are frontrunners for his services, despite him having direct discussions with Amorim about his potential role within the squad.
His representatives are also seeking assurances, with their preference being either a permanent deal or a loan arrangement featuring an obligatory buy clause. His immediate future could yet lie with Los Blancos, however, and may well be determined at a meeting between his representatives and the club that has been arranged for November.
Real's stance and United's struggles
Irrespective of what transpires during those discussions, reports emerging from Brazil suggest that should a proposal arrive from Old Trafford featuring a substantial buy-option, Real would be willing to sanction his departure.
United will almost certainly be eyeing winter window additions having endured a testing start to the new campaign. Michael Carrick's squad have triumphed just once in the Premier League and remain without a win in their previous four outings.
The most recent setback arrived on Saturday evening at home against Tottenham. Bryan Mbeumo fired United ahead midway through the second period, but Dominic Solanke levelled in added time despite Rodrigo Bentancur receiving his marching orders shortly after the opener. Leading up to their equaliser, it proved a rather uninspiring showing from United, which sparked jeers at the final whistle.
When questioned about the reaction afterwards, Carrick commented: "It's not nice, it hurts a lot because I care about this club. But I understand the disappointment, the reality is what it is, we need to get back to winning games. We found it tough to start with. For a number of reasons, we were not quite there. You could see it was a challenging time. But the lads grew into the game, in the second half I thought we were better in everything. To get the game as we wanted it, in such a good position - we should see it through. We have to manage those situations. That's two late goals which have hurt us, and things look very different. That's the reality."
