AS: Even if Alonso leaves, Endrick will leave on loan

Endrick's fleeting appearance against Manchester City sparked a debate. The Brazilian needed just a handful of minutes to demonstrate that he is an underutilized player. 

And now that Xabi Alonso's future is uncertain, there's talk of a possible turnaround in his situation, with Endrick staying to explore his options under a potential new manager. However, according to AS, the Brazilian's situation is now set in stone. He will go on loan to Olympique Lyonnais, as agreed between the two clubs and the player.

For Real Madrid, Endrick's departure is a good move, given the squad's structure at the start of the season. Gonzalo's breakout performance at the Club World Cup led the manager to also consider giving the academy graduate a chance, as he sees him as a pure number 9, a role currently lacking in the squad. Xabi Alonso views Endrick as a more dynamic player, less of a penalty-box striker, despite his undeniable goal-scoring ability. And having two players, Gonzalo and Mbappé, for the few minutes Mbappé leaves available is unfeasible.

With the loan, everyone wins. Endrick has found the destination he wanted, a team that plays in European competition and where he has a guaranteed starting spot and where he'll begin to showcase his talent to try and impress Ancelotti and be part of Brazil at the next World Cup, one of his main short-term goals. On the other hand, with the loan, Real Madrid is protecting its investment, since, between one thing and another, they've already spent more than 60 million euros on the Endrick deal. And they continue to have faith in the player for the future. Therefore, they needed to keep him active so that his value wouldn't decrease further.

As a side note, both the player and Real Madrid tried to wait as long as possible for the loan to materialize, not because of a hypothetical departure of Xabi Alonso, but in case the situation at the position changed due to an unexpected injury. But the agreement is now firm, also due to Lyon's desire, driven by circumstances. Uruguayan striker Satriano, who arrived in the final days of the transfer window, isn't performing well, and their best attacking player, Fofana, has been injured. They are currently fifth in the league, outside the Champions League qualification places.

A contract with many facets. A few months ago, the newspaper O Globo published a detailed report on several of the bonuses included in Endrick's transfer agreement between Palmeiras and Real Madrid. Leaving aside taxes and commissions, Real Madrid paid a fixed fee of 35 million euros. But that amount has been increasing since then. There are performance-based bonuses of all kinds. For each goal, assist, or penalty won, for example, the Madrid club pays 35,000 euros. Each match as a starter (if he plays at least 45 minutes) earns him 75,000 euros. For winning La Liga, Real Madrid must pay Palmeiras half a million euros if Endrick starts in 8 matches and one million euros if he starts in 18. If they win the Champions League, they must pay one million euros if Endrick plays 4 matches in that edition or two million euros if he plays 8.

The Endrick transfer agreement includes other performance-based bonuses for individual awards. If Endrick wins the Golden Boy award, according to information provided by O Globo, Real Madrid must pay Palmeiras an additional one million euros; if he finishes in the top three for the Golden Boot or The Best FIFA Men's Player award, another million euros; and if he wins the Ballon d'Or or The Best FIFA Men's Player award, two million euros more. All of this runs until 2030, with a maximum bonus payment of 25 million euros.