Tottenham player calls lawyers off – Set for dramatic 24 hours with Spurs

Richarlison has backed away from his attempt to terminate his Tottenham contract, putting a transfer back at the centre of talks with Vasco da Gama.

The Brazilian had threatened to take the matter further after becoming unhappy with his situation at Spurs. That move then threatened to derail negotiations which had been progressing with Vasco.

O Globo now say Richarlison won’t pursue unilateral termination for the time being. His representatives have concluded that the move is unlikely to succeed right now.

So it’s back to trying to find an agreement with Tottenham. And we now know exactly what Vasco have offered.

Tottenham reject €10m proposal

In a separate report, O Globo say Vasco offered €10m (£8.7m) for 50% of Richarlison’s rights. Even that wouldn’t arrive particularly quickly.

The proposal would be paid over five years, with payments only starting in 2027. Tottenham considered the offer too low and have asked Vasco to improve it.

Spurs want €20m (£17.3m) for 100% of the player, something we had also covered on Wednesday. Vasco haven’t necessarily reached their limit.

O Globo explain they were prepared to “stretch” their offer if Tottenham agreed to the same long-term payment structure. And that’s where the parties now need to find some middle ground before Brazil’s window closes on Friday.

There’s a conflicting version from ESPN Brazil, who say Vasco haven’t submitted an official offer and have instead been speaking regularly to Richarlison.

Given O Globo’s information on this story hasn’t been contradicted so far, unlike some of ESPN’s reporting, we’ll stick with their version of events for now.

Richarlison wanted six-month Vasco solution

O Globo also provide more detail on how the termination idea appeared. Richarlison had already notified Tottenham last Saturday and asked to leave by mutual agreement. A potential unilateral termination would have followed if that didn’t work.

During negotiations, he then told Vasco he intended to pursue that route. That caught the Brazilian club by surprise.

Had Richarlison managed to become a free agent, his idea was to join Vasco until the end of 2026.

He and his representatives would then have been free to decide what came next. That could mean staying at Vasco or looking abroad again in the next window.

It would also have solved Vasco’s financial problem rather neatly. They’d get Richarlison for the remainder of the year without spending money they don’t currently have on a transfer.

Vasco against legal battle

The legal risk was the rather large problem with that plan. Vasco didn’t like it, Tottenham weren’t going to simply accept it, and Richarlison’s camp now appear to have reached the same conclusion.

A sale is therefore back on the agenda. Even that may only give Vasco Richarlison temporarily. The striker would like the freedom to look elsewhere in 2027, and Vasco are prepared to build that into any permanent deal.

Club president Admar Lopes has just spoken to Globo Esporte and confirmed talks are ongoing. Most importantly, he sounds optimistic.

“We understand that Richarlison would change Vasco’s offensive level. We studied all the possibilities. At this moment, we are talking with the English club and there is viability in having Richarlison in this transfer window”, he said.

“Legally, if there is a termination of the contract between the player and Tottenham, it has nothing to do with Vasco. Legally, we are not involved. You have to ask the player and his representatives”. So there is some caution as well.

O Globo say a clause could allow another club to trigger his exit and take responsibility for the remaining instalments owed to Tottenham. So Vasco could technically buy Richarlison now, only for him to move again next year.

Tottenham have another card to play

ESPN bring one particularly interesting detail from Tottenham’s side. They say Spurs have a unilateral option to extend Richarlison’s contract by another year, taking it from June 2027 to June 2028.

The player wouldn’t have the power to reject that extension. That’s important given all the previous talk about Richarlison potentially entering the final months of his contract and eventually leaving for nothing.

The relationship between the two sides is described as terrible, though. Both ESPN and Globo Esporte say Tottenham were already unhappy when Richarlison rejected a lucrative Saudi offer last season.

And things got worse this summer. Richarlison pulled out of an Everton return at the last minute after the player and two clubs had practically completed the deal. Then came the failed Trabzonspor negotiations.

But ESPN explain why Tottenham aren’t particularly worried about the threat of a legal fight. According to the report, Spurs have been careful to ensure their treatment of him doesn’t create an obvious legal opening for a justified termination.

So now there’s clearly very little love left between Richarlison and Tottenham after all.

The legal fight has been put aside for now, Tottenham have rejected the first Vasco proposal, and the Brazilians need to come back with something better. They have until Friday to do it.