Endrick’s Future at Real Madrid in Doubt as Milan and Roma Show Interest

Endrick arrived at Real Madrid as a forward built for big nights. At the moment, he is living on scraps.

According to Spanish outlet Marca, the 20-year-old could be allowed to leave in the January transfer window, with AC Milan and Roma both ready to move if the door opens. For now, it is only a possibility, but the direction of travel is clear: if his minutes do not improve, the Brazilian will look elsewhere.

A squad packed with attacking talent has boxed him in. Endrick has managed just two La Liga appearances so far in the 2026-27 campaign, a stark return for a player of his profile and ambition. He is not out of favour in theory, just out of the team in practice.

The situation is not new. Several clubs tested Madrid’s resolve in the summer, sensing an opportunity. At that point, Jose Mourinho shut it down. The Madrid manager was adamant Endrick would not leave, believing he could shape him inside Valdebebas rather than watch him grow somewhere else.

Then came a night that seemed to change everything.

Against Roma in the Champions League last week, Endrick stepped off the bench and ripped the game open. Madrid were staring at defeat; he turned it into a 4-3 comeback win. A goal, an assist, and the sort of impact that usually shifts a season. It felt like a statement performance, the kind that forces a manager’s hand.

Mourinho responded with a reward: a start in the following La Liga match against Sevilla. This was the chance, the platform he had been waiting for. No goal, no assist, no decisive moment this time. The audition did not become a breakthrough.

The next game underlined the reality. In midweek against RB Leipzig, Endrick saw only two minutes of action. A token appearance, not a role. Momentum stalled almost as quickly as it had built.

Now comes El Clasico on Sunday, the fixture that defines months in a single afternoon. Endrick is expected to watch its first act from the bench, with Mourinho favouring Yan Diomande and Arda Guler in the wide roles. For a young forward trying to climb the hierarchy, that is a brutal pecking order to stare up at.

It leaves January looming large. If this pattern holds, Endrick is likely to push for a move. Madrid are not short of options, and he is not short of suitors.

Last season’s loan at Lyon showed why. Given a run of games in France over the second half of the campaign, he hit eight goals in 21 appearances and looked every inch the modern, direct attacker big clubs covet. That spell has not been forgotten. It is the clearest evidence yet that his development accelerates with trust and minutes, not cameos.

Roma and Milan have positioned themselves early, both open to a temporary deal if Madrid will sanction one. For them, it is a low-risk chance to tap into a high ceiling. For Endrick, it could be the difference between stagnation on the Bernabéu bench and a season that actually moves his career forward.

Madrid, Mourinho, and the player now stand at a crossroads. Keep him as a luxury option, or let him leave to grow. The next few weeks, and the team sheets that come with them, will decide which path he takes.