Tottenham are reportedly in advanced negotiations to sign Richarlison from Everton in a £51million deal. The Lilywhites have not been among the clubs vying for the Brazilian’s signature and talks over personal terms are said to have taken place.
Everton’s relegation to the Premier League was apparently enough to convince Richarlison his future would be best elsewhere. The now 25-year-old striker, who is well on the way to his prime, has a solid reputation for attracting some of Europe’s top sides.
Manchester United, Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea had all been mentioned alongside the Toffees star in recent weeks, although none had made significant progress. Now Spurs have arrived and might not be too far from a shock deal.
At least according to UOL’s Bruno Andrade, who claims negotiations are already ‘advanced’ and Richarlison has discussed his contract with the Tottenham hierarchy.
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Gabriel Jesus is a similarly versatile option to be linked with Spurs, but a reported £50m price tag could see them withdraw and deal the blow to local rivals Arsenal. The Brazilian could favor the Emirates either way as he would have a virtually guaranteed spot at the top as only Eddie Nketiah remains after Alexandre Lacazette’s recent departure.
Inter Milan star Lautaro Martinez is also in the running should Tottenham’s talks for Richarlison falter. Inter Milan boss Piero Ausilio is believed to be in London for transfer meetings and while Conte knows Martinez’s talent from his own time at the San Siro, the Argentine is a less versatile option and he may not be content with it far behind to be transferred outside .
Despite the brain-numbing mystery Conte faces, he will at least feel emboldened that the club are ready to support him. That is in stark contrast to his first transfer window at the helm, when he complained: “Four players left in January. Four important players for Tottenham, two have been added.
“Even numerically, instead of strengthening, you may have weakened on paper. Then precise decisions were made for many reasons. But I certainly never expected that in January there would be four players out of a thousand that I still thought were important reasons would change their jerseys.” That shows the difficulty.”