The Brazilian has been strongly linked with an exit all summer, with Roberto De Zerbi confirming the striker has asked to leave, but his list of viable destinations is shrinking fast now that several major European windows have already shut.
Everton were among the sides credited with interest before deadline day passed without a move materialising, and Trabzonspor's registration rules ultimately scuppered a switch to Turkey that had appeared close to completion.
Having already missed out on England, Scotland, Belgium, the Netherlands and now Turkey, Richarlison's most realistic path away from north London may already have closed. The Saudi Pro League's Roshn League — the country's top flight — closes its registration window on September 6, considerably earlier than some reports have suggested, leaving Richarlison with only hours rather than weeks to complete any move to the Gulf.
Portugal remains a theoretical option, with Primeira Liga clubs able to sign players until September 15, and the Brazilian's fluency in Portuguese could make a move there appealing. A return to his native Brazil is also possible, with that transfer window open until September 11, the same date on which Mexico's Liga MX also closes for business.
Should none of those routes produce a deal, Tottenham will be left with a high-profile forward frozen out of the first-team picture and unable to play elsewhere.
Reports from Talksport suggest the club are weighing up terminating his contract entirely, which would allow the 29-year-old to move as a free agent regardless of any transfer window, potentially unlocking later interest from Saudi clubs whose domestic windows for free agents can differ from those governing paid transfers.
Richarlison has publicly maintained a defiant tone throughout the saga. "Despite all this turmoil, I am under contract at Spurs and will remain at the club's disposal," he wrote in a statement last week, even as his club and representatives continue searching for a way out before his options disappear entirely.
The forward was left out of De Zerbi's 25-man Premier League squad for the first half of the season, effectively confirming his first-team future lies elsewhere, and faces the prospect of training with the Under-21s for months if a deal cannot be found. Having joined Spurs from Everton in 2022, Richarlison was the club's top scorer last season, but has struggled for consistency throughout his time in north London and now finds himself in exactly the kind of limbo clubs try to avoid when a departing player's exits all dry up simultaneously.