Lyon secure Endrick on a clean six-month loan ending in June 2026, with a modest €1 million fee paid to Real Madrid and shared salary obligations, with the French club covering roughly half.

No buy clause or obligation is attached, preserving Madrid’s control over their €60 million summer 2024 investment, who remains under contract until 2030.

A guaranteed minutes clause sweetens the deal, ensuring the prodigy logs starts under Paulo Fonseca, who views him as the long-term No. 9 successor following the summer departures of Alexandre Lacazette and Georges Mikautadze.

The move aligns neatly with Lyon’s fifth-place Ligue 1 push, where they sit eight wins from 16 games and ten points off leaders Lens, injecting attacking spark into a squad seeking goals during the post-winter break sprint.

Frustrated minutes at Madrid fuel exit

Endrick’s Bernabéu tenure stalled quickly under Xabi Alonso, limited to one La Liga cameo and a lone Champions League substitute appearance amid recovery from a hamstring injury.

Alonso publicly preached patience, citing fierce competition from Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius Junior, and Rodrygo in Madrid’s trophy-laden squad, yet opportunities remained scarce despite positive training reports.

The former Palmeiras standout, who dazzled at the 2022 Copinha and broke through at senior level as a teenager, prioritized regular football over bench minutes to reassert himself in Carlo Ancelotti’s plans for the Seleção.

Premier League interest from Arsenal and Chelsea surfaced late, but Endrick favored Lyon’s Europa League exposure and existing Brazilian presence, including Emerson and Abner, easing cultural and tactical adaptation.

Debut path and long-term vision

Endrick is targeting a January 3 Ligue 1 debut away to Monaco, where he is expected to slot into Fonseca’s fluid attacking structure after the winter hiatus, leaning on the predatory instincts that defined his rise in Brazil. A strong half-season could fast-track his return to Madrid’s first-team plans or draw permanent interest elsewhere, with scouts continuing to praise his aerial ability, hold-up play, and clinical finishing at just 19.

Madrid view the loan as calculated development rather than retreat, confident in his elite ceiling despite the early setback. Lyon, meanwhile, are betting that World Cup motivation will unlock immediate impact. Across Europe, expectations are building that this short spell could reshape Endrick’s trajectory for both club and country.