Richarlison rejects move to Saudi Arabia

The Brazilian forward made clear his intentions to remain at Tottenham amid speculation he could leave this summer

(AFP via Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur forward Richarlison has made his intentions clear after rejecting a big money move to Saudi Arabia in favour of remaining with Spurs and playing football in the Premier League.

The 27-year-old moved from to Tottenham two years ago in a £60m transfer from Everton and has scored 15 goals in 66 appearances for the north London side.

Last season Richarlison’s game time under manager Ange Postegolou dropped in comparison to his debut year with Spurs and he regularly featured off the bench with Son Heung-Min, Brennan Johnson and Dejen Kulusevski the preferred forward trio by the end of the campaign.

This, coupled with Tottenham’s apparant interest in Bournemouth forward Dominic Solanke, has led to speculation that Richarlison could leave the cluub this summer depsite there being three years left on his contract.

The Brazilian had been attracting interest from a number of clubs in Saudi Arabia, with Al-Hilal reportedly tabling a bid for the striker, but he is adamant that his priorities lie in with Spurs and Brazil, his home country.

In an interview with ESPN Brasil, Richarlison was asked if he could be moving to Saudi Arabia in this transfer window and he replied:

“There has been an offer but my dream of playing for the Brazilian Selecao and in the Premier League speaks louder. The money is big but my dreams are bigger. It’s decided.”

Richarlison shut down further speculation on Thursday 8th August with a post on his Instagram Stories that showed him on the pitch inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with the caption “I am at home”.

Of course, the situation may be taken out of his hands as Tottenham’s interest in Solanke is genuine but they are reluctant to pay the £65m release clause fee.

The Cherries striker scored 21 goals in 42 games for Bournemouth last season and Spurs may need to offload players if they hope to secure his services before the end of the transfer window.