Real Madrid pip Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea to signing of £62-million Brazilian wonderkid Endrick from Palmeiras

Real Madrid close in on Brazilian wonderkid

Real Madrid are edging closer to the signing of 16-year-old Brazilian wonderkid Endrick, according to the Standard. The Palmeiras prodigy had held “extensive talks” with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea and was even invited to visit their training grounds. The west London club even asked Brazil captain Thiago Silva to convince Endrick to join Chelsea. However, Los Blancos are set to win the £62-million battle and the teenager will move to Madrid when he turns 18 years old.

Paper Round’s view: £62 million is a huge amount of money to pay for a 16-year-old who has only made seven senior club appearances. However, there’s clearly a lot of hype around him and there’s no smoke without fire. Real Madrid will regret missing out on Neymar all those years ago, which will have definitely played a part in their eagerness to get a deal over the line for Endrick. We’ve seen Vinicius Jr succeed in the Spanish capital and Rodrygo is in the process of following in his footsteps. Real Madrid’s next Samba star after that will be Endrick.

Atletico open to Felix sale

Atletico Madrid are willing to listen to offers for Joao Felix after chief executive Miguel Angel Gil admitted the all-time record signing wants to leave the club. The Mail report that super-agent Jorge Mendes could move his client as early as January as Felix’s relationship with Atleti manager Diego Simeone continues to disintegrate. The Spanish club only signed Felix for an eye-watering £114-million in 2019 and it is unknown how much Atletico Madrid will demand for the 23-year-old if he were to depart in January.

Paper Round’s view: Atletico Madrid always felt like a strange fit for Felix. Flair players never seem to thrive under Simeone’s hard-running methods. That doesn’t mean that the Portugal forward doesn’t work hard. He does. But the playing style simply does not compliment Felix’s traits. It would be interesting to see him join a Premier League side, but a move to Paris Saint-Germain to replace Lionel Messi feels like it could be more likely. However, Manchester United and Chelsea could both use attackers…

Arsenal’s transfer plans halted

There are fears at Arsenal that their transfer plans for January may be postponed after Gabriel Jesus was forced to undergo surgery on his knee after a suffering a devastating injury at the World Cup. The Brazilian withdrew from the tournament, and it is currently unclear how long he will be sidelined for after his knee surgery. This news could force Arsenal to try and sign a new striker in January in order to keep their title hopes on track, which will halt their original plan to sign Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhailo Mudryk.

Paper Round’s view: It’s harsh to say, but it’s extremely unlikely that Arsenal will keep Manchester City at bay in the battle to win the Premier League with Eddie Nketiah as their only striker. The north London club put their faith in the 23-year-old last summer when they signed him to a contract extension, but he is not a game-changer like Jesus. If Mikel Arteta wants his side to stay top, they need to sign another striker in January. Maybe they could look into an ambitious loan move for Atletico Madrid’s wantaway striker Joao Felix…

Southgate’s secret successor?

The FA are desperate for Gareth Southgate to continue in his current role as England manager for Euro 2024 and “remain hopeful” that he will stay – even if the Three Lions lose to France on Sunday. If he were to depart, the Mail reveal that there are two top foreign coaches interested in succeeding Southgate: Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel. However, there is reported “external pressure” to hire the “best possible English candidate” – who is viewed as Southgate’s current assistant, Steve Holland.

Paper Round’s view: If Southgate does decide to leave his role after this World Cup, the FA have to make a strong decision regarding the future of the England team. Hiring Southgate in the first place has obviously worked out – but Holland has largely just been an assistant for the majority of his career. At least Southgate managed the under-21s. You’d have to be crazy to pass up on either Pochettino or Tuchel. This extremely talent squad is giving England a huge opportunity to succeed. They need to hire the best person for the job.