Aston Villa plot January loan swoop for Real Madrid striker Endrick

Villa make their play for Endrick

Aston Villa are planning a January swoop to sign Brazil striker Endrick on loan from Real Madrid, according to Football Insider.

The 20-year-old has found regular minutes hard to come by in the Spanish capital, and Villa are ready to test the water with a temporary offer when the window opens in the new year.

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Milan also circling

Villa are not the only club monitoring the 20-year-old. Reporting on 10 October suggested AC Milan believe they are in pole position to take Endrick on loan in January should he continue to struggle for first-team football at the Spanish club, with the Serie A side watching his situation closely and prepared to offer him a temporary move in the winter window.

A testing year at the Bernabeu

Endrick's second season in Madrid proved even more challenging than his first. As The Athletic reported in September, a hamstring injury suffered towards the end of the 2024-25 campaign ruled him out of that summer's Club World Cup, where new manager Xabi Alonso turned to academy graduate Gonzalo Garcia to deputise for the injured Kylian Mbappe.

Garcia took his chance, scoring four goals and providing one assist in six matches, earning a contract renewal before completing a €40m move to Fulham in early August. Alonso, the report said, advised Endrick to leave in pursuit of regular football.

The message relayed to the young forward was that players at Madrid have to "taste the bench" first — as Arda Guler had after arriving in July 2023.

What happens next?

With Milan claiming pole position and Villa now drawing up their own plan, a January tussle for Endrick's signature — albeit a loan one — is taking shape. Much will depend on whether Madrid are willing to let the Brazilian leave mid-season, and whether the prospect of regular Premier League football can sway both club and player.