Tottenham have turned down two approaches from Shabab Al Ahli for Richarlison, with the UAE club's window still open until 28 September, and the second offer did not even reach the player, according to ESPN Brazil journalist Bruno Andrade. Andrade added that Richarlison was not especially keen on the move in any case.
Andrade says Tottenham's plan is to keep the 29-year-old at the club, training but unused, until the turn of the year.
“The natural route continues to be that he stays at Tottenham until December and January, on the sidelines, training with the group but not being used.”
Richarlison's formal request to terminate his contract has not gone away either, but Andrade says his legal position is weak: “The people I speak to continue saying it's very unlikely that this request for termination will go forward, because legally Richarlison isn't that well supported. He has few arguments.
"Right now, Tottenham have more arguments to keep him than Richarlison has arguments to leave.”
That leaves January as the more realistic route out, once Richarlison is within six months of the end of his contract and free to negotiate a pre-contract with a club abroad, allowing a buyer to then try to agree an immediate deal with Tottenham rather than waiting for the summer. Andrade names Turkey and Saudi Arabia as the likeliest destinations, with Trabzonspor a possible return after their approach fell through earlier in the year.
Andrade was blunt about how the saga has been handled so far.
“He's made a lot of mistakes up to now, too many mistakes. The advice, the legal side, the business side. Richarlison in recent months has been, well, a catastrophe. A catastrophe.”
He also said a collapsed move to Vasco da Gama was “more Richarlison's fault than Tottenham's or Vasco's”, but argued that waiting for January is now the sensible course, since it would let the player negotiate for himself:
“Intelligently, he has to wait until January, sign a pre-contract with whoever he wants, and the negotiation is directly with him. From January, he'll have his contract in his own hands. Any signing-on fee goes to him, not the club. This is the time for him to choose. Richarlison can look at any offer, choose between the money or the sporting project, Europe or the Middle East.”
Richarlison has been frozen out under head coach Roberto De Zerbi since the summer, and has not featured in a matchday squad since making his desire to leave known.