Real Madrid forward Endrick appears set to go out on loan again this season, with Europa League winners Aston Villa the favorites to do a deal.
The 20-year-old forward has struggled for game time since officially joining Madrid in the summer of 2024 as one of South American soccer’s most-hyped prospects.
After largely failing to break into the lineup under both Carlo Ancelotti and Xabi Alonso, Endrick was loaned to Lyon for the second half of the 2025–26 campaign, where he impressed with eight goals and eight assists in 21 appearances.
His displays in France earned him a call-up to Ancelotti’s Brazil squad for the 2026 World Cup after which he returned early to preseason with Real Madrid, hoping to impress new manager José Mourinho. However, it appears as if his short-term future, at least, lies away from Spain’s capital city.
Madrid have signed added competition for Endrick this season in the form of backup striker Carlos Espí and wonderkid winger Yan Diomande, making it ever more difficult for the Brazilian to get time on the pitch, either as a striker or the wide role he played more regularly at Lyon.
Tellingly, Mourinho told reporters “I want a small squad, 20 players plus those who are currently injured”—paving the way for exits like Endrick before the transfer deadline on Sept. 1.
Where Next for Endrick?
AS report that both Aston Villa and Serie A club AS Roma have “expressed an interest” in taking Endrick on loan this season, after his displays in France last term. The report claims that Madrid still view the youngster as a signifiant investment, one they cannot risk devaluing.
To facilitate the loan transfer, Los Blancos would be willing to part fund the his salary—a not insignificant amount at more than €5 million ($5.75 million) per season.
SPORT call Villa the “most probable” destination. Other reports in Spain have recently claimed that La Liga trio Real Sociedad, Villarreal and Real Betis have all asked to take the the forward on loan, while the player himself is keen to play in European competition.
What Would Endrick Offer Aston Villa?
Barely out of his teenage years, Endrick has already played under three managers at Real Madrid and has gone from hotly anticipated wonderkid to borderline forgotten man in the space of two years.
The Bernabéu moves on quickly and welcomed Diomande, a year younger than Endrick, as the exciting new hope this summer.
Once compared to Vinícius Júnior, Karim Benzema and even Pelé, Endrick’s stock has fallen since his near €60 million ($69 million) move, but his time in France showed there is still a top prospect there.
His explosive pace, low center of gravity and strong finishing marked him out as different to his peers during his first steps at Palmeiras, encouraging Madrid to pay such a premium. While the transition to the world’s biggest club has been tough—as it is for many players—it doesn’t make Endrick a failure.
The Lyon loan showcased a raw, all-action forward, able to play off the right as well as centrally.
Back in May, ex-France star Emmanuel Petit claimed he would like to see Endrick at his former club Arsenal. “Endrick is so young, only 19,” Petit said at the time.
“He’s very talented, very gifted, but he’s like a wild horse with a lot of energy. On the field, sometimes he can be a bit too selfish. But at the same time, he knows he has huge qualities.
“He needs to be in the right setting to improve and develop because this kid is a diamond. What kind of club would suit him? Given his qualities, I’d love him to come to Arsenal.”
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