Real Madrid's Dilemma: Keep Gonzalo Garcia or Move for Endrick?

Real Madrid are not in the habit of clinging to squad players. Yet Gonzalo Garcia, a forward who barely tasted the pitch last season, has become a quiet battleground at Valdebebas.

On one side, the Premier League. Fulham, in particular, are pushing to prise him away, sensing opportunity in a player trapped behind Kylian Mbappé in the pecking order. A starting spot at the Bernabéu is a fantasy for most strikers when the France captain stands in their way, and Garcia is no exception.

On the other side stands José Mourinho.

According to The Athletic, sources close to the Real Madrid manager insist this is not a casual appreciation. Mourinho does not just like Garcia. He wants him to stay. For the new season. In his squad. In his plans.

That stance carries weight because it fits a broader idea. Those same sources say Mourinho is determined to keep a traditional No 9 in the Real Madrid ranks, a reference point in the box rather than another roaming forward. The club’s hierarchy are already scanning the market for that profile, testing options, running scenarios.

And yet the dilemma keeps circling back to one name: Garcia.

If he goes, the dominoes start to fall. The expectation from those close to the situation is clear: should Garcia leave this summer, Mourinho’s gaze will turn sharply towards Endrick.

The Brazilian teenager has just returned from a six‑month loan at Lyon, a spell designed to harden him for exactly this level of scrutiny. Now he walks back into a dressing room where Mbappé dominates the headlines and Garcia sits at the centre of a tug of war.

For the moment, Endrick is the only outright alternative to Mbappé in the central striking role. That thin depth chart only sharpens the question facing the Madrid board. Do they cash in on Garcia while the Premier League is calling, then dive into the market for another orthodox striker? Or do they hold their nerve, keep him as cover, and allow Endrick to develop without being thrust into a permanent understudy role?

Fulham are applying pressure, sensing Real Madrid might blink. Mourinho, by contrast, is pushing for continuity in a position he considers non‑negotiable.

Somewhere between those two forces, Madrid must decide what kind of attack they want to build around Mbappé — and who gets to stand closest to him when the season kicks off.