Transfer market rates are truly bonkers these days, especially for talented youngsters.
Modern Football seems to be sternly chasing after the ‘next big player’, and in that pursuit, the figures clubs are willing to part with have touched obscene amounts.
Take for instance Kylian Mbappe’s record-breaking transfer to PSG, the forward was 18 at the time and the Parisians forked over a whopping $180m for his signature.
More recently there’s the case of 19-year-old Jude Bellingham, with many clubs after him, Borussia Dortmund have slapped on a price tag of £130m for their prized asset.
And just a few days ago, 16-year-old Brazilian wunderkind Endrick Felipe reportedly cemented a deal with Real Madrid, for a sum rising to the eye-watering figure of €72m.
To state the obvious, that’s a lot of money for a 16-year-old with little experience in the top flight.
That’s not to say that the move is an outright blunder, as the Palmeiras forward is easily one of the brightest talents in world football.
Exhibiting strength on the ball beyond his age and an arsenal of skills that have left defences rattled, Endrick is quite the force, and he’s already a starter at club level as well.
Alongside Los Blancos, a host of European Heavyweights were in for his signature, with Palmeiras opting for the ‘top bidder wins’ policy.
The European Champions clearly liked what they say, and they look all set to recruit Endrick.
Although, the question beckons, does the price really make sense?
As far as fans on Twitter go, the answer looks like a resounding no.
Many fans outright laughed off the notion of €72m for a 16-year-old, stating that the money could be better used for bringing in established players.
The suggestions do make sense, the likes of Mo Salah, Bruno Fernandes, and Bernardo Silva were all recruited for less than €70m.
However, it’s important to note that the signing isn’t to address some immediate need, and is intended as an investment for the future.
And while you can always tweak the development of young players and get more out of the investment, the same cannot be said for aged stars, and many big-money signings often bear no fruit.
There were also more reasonable arguments against the move, indicating Endrick’s severe lack of experience which certainly doesn’t warrant the luxurious price tag.
Most fan takes seemed to tilt against the move, although there were still plenty of positive ones.
The onus to justify the price now lies on the youngster, and if Vinicius Jr’ trajectory has told us anything, it’s that there’s no better place to develop into a bigger player than Real Madrid.
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