Barcelona, Real Madrid face Arsenal competition for 16-year-old South American whizkid | OneFootball

According to reports in England, as relayed by SPORT, Barcelona and Real Madrid have seemingly been joined by Arsenal in the race to sign Palmeiras wonderkid Endrick.

The 16-year-old teenage forward is one of the hottest prospects in South American football currently and is on the radars of some of the biggest clubs in Europe.

Having burst onto the scenes during the Copinha tournament earlier this year, Endrick has made rapid strides and is already a first-team member at Palmeiras, having recently made his senior debut for the Brazilian giants.

Naturally, the teenage sensation is attracting a lot of eyeballs with his tremendous goalscoring record at the youth levels for club and country.

Barcelona have been credited with an interest in the 16-year-old for a long time now, with the youngster even visiting the club earlier this year.

More recently, the Catalan giants sat down with his entourage to confirm their interest in signing him and have been planning to open talks with Palmeiras at the end of the season.

However, the Blaugrana face serious competition from arch-rivals Real Madrid, who have had a lot of success with Brazilian youngsters in recent times. On top of that, Arsenal have also now entered the race for the signing of Endrick.

The Gunners have strong connections in Brazil now thanks to sporting director Edu. They also have a solid contingent of Brazilian players in their ranks with Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Jesus and Marquinhos. These factors could work in their favour in the battle for the services of Endrick.

The 16-year-old forward signed his first professional contract with Palmeiras in July, which keeps him tied down to the club until 2025. And it could take as much as €70 million for clubs to sign him.

Tipped as the biggest prospect in Brazil after Neymar, Endrick is expected to move to Europe when he turns 18. Whether it will be to Barcelona, Real Madrid or Arsenal or a different club altogether remains to be seen.