Liverpool Pursues Endrick Amid Winger Search
Liverpool’s search for firepower has taken them from Paris to Brighton – and now to the Bernabeu.
The club’s hierarchy are pushing hard to land two wingers before the window closes, but behind the scenes they’ve also tried something far more ambitious: prising Brazilian prodigy Endrick away from Real Madrid.
Barcola still the priority, Mbaye deal stalls
Bradley Barcola remains the headline target. Liverpool have had personal terms in place with the PSG winger for some time and see him as a key piece in their attacking rebuild.
For weeks it looked like his teammate Ibrahim Mbaye would follow him to Anfield. Mbaye has also agreed personal terms, yet the deal has hit a wall. PSG are holding out for around €70m, a price Liverpool are not prepared to meet. Andoni Iraola’s side are understood to value the winger closer to €50m, creating a stand-off that has dragged on through August.
That hesitation has forced Liverpool’s owners, FSG, to pivot.
Minteh chase gathers pace
Attention has swung to Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh, now viewed as the second winger to come in alongside Barcola.
Liverpool have already tested Brighton’s resolve twice. Their latest offer, worth a total of £60m, has been rejected, with Brighton standing firm. But Minteh has agreed personal terms with Liverpool, and sources close to the talks believe a third bid in the region of £65m–£70m could finally break Brighton’s resistance.
While those negotiations play out, Liverpool have been working another angle entirely.
Liverpool call Real Madrid over Endrick
Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Liverpool recently contacted Real Madrid to explore a move for Endrick, the Brazilian striker who only joined the European champions this summer.
The 18-year-old is not short of admirers. Romano reported that Roma and AC Milan made approaches in recent days, sounding out Endrick’s camp over a possible loan deal. Aston Villa also picked up the phone two weeks ago.
Each time, they ran into a brick wall.
According to Romano, Madrid’s response was blunt: “no chance, no chance, no chance, no doors open for Endrick.”
Liverpool tried to go further. They asked about a loan with a buy option and even a permanent deal built around a major proposal. The idea was to see if there was any room at all to tempt Madrid into a conversation.
There wasn’t.
Romano says president Florentino Perez and head coach Jose Mourinho have made a clear decision: Endrick stays. They want him in Madrid, wearing the number nine shirt, and fighting for his place rather than heading out again after last season’s loan at Lyon.
Door closed for now – but January could change everything
For Liverpool, the answer is definitive for the moment. Romano stresses that, as of today, Real Madrid have no intention of letting Endrick go, on loan or permanently.
The situation could shift later in the year. If Endrick is not playing regularly by the end of December, Romano believes Madrid would at least have to consider another loan, similar to the Lyon move. That is one for January, not now.
So Liverpool return to their original plan: lock down Barcola, push Brighton to the limit over Minteh, and keep their powder dry in case the Endrick conversation looks very different when winter comes.
