The father of departing Palmeiras starlet Endrick admits he came close to joining Chelsea before signing for Real Madrid.

The teen will move to Real in 2024.

However, his father Douglas says Chelsea were very close to winning the tug-of-war.

"I can't say it was 100 percent, because I hadn't signed, but the agreement was in place. I had already got it into my head that he wanted to live in London in the cold weather," he told the Guardian.

"But then in the evening my son's agent called and said that the Chelsea owner had pulled out of the deal because the price they had to pay for Endrick would make the market too expensive. It was 60 million euros for a 16-year-old boy who would not arrive in the country until almost two years later.

"I have to admit that I don't like the cold, but my wife and Endrick do. Endrick really likes playing in the rain. So we got an invitation from Chelsea, from the owner, and we went there to see the club and the country.

"They explained everything to us. They introduced us to the person who would help us adjust. She showed us the house we would live in, the school Endrick would go to and the church we would go to. Everything was in order for us and Chelsea."