Richarlison's Vasco Escape Bid Hits Contract Wall at Tottenham
Richarlison’s summer of near-misses has taken another twist – and this time Tottenham are drawing a hard line.
The Brazilian forward, desperate to return home and sign for Vasco Da Gama, has pushed for his Spurs contract to be cancelled to smooth a late move. Vasco’s window shuts on Friday night in Brazil. The clock is loud. But Tottenham are refusing to open the door.
A transfer window of dead ends
Richarlison’s exit saga has lurched from one failed route to another.
Tottenham tried to move him on in the final days of the English summer window, attempting to use him in a swap deal for Iliman Ndiaye. That plan collapsed when Richarlison couldn’t agree terms with Everton, blocking Spurs’ move for the forward.
The dominoes fell elsewhere. Ndiaye ended up at Manchester City. Roberto De Zerbi, denied his preferred target, turned to Chelsea winger Mykhaylo Mudryk on loan with an option to buy.
Richarlison, meanwhile, stayed put. A proposed move to Trabzonspor in the Super Lig also slipped away. Now, with days turning into hours, his focus is fixed on Vasco Da Gama.
Reports in Brazil on Thursday claimed the 29-year-old had already agreed personal terms with Vasco and was pushing to have his Spurs deal terminated to accelerate the move. That is where the story collides with Tottenham’s stance.
Contract dispute blocks Brazil return
According to BBC Sport, Richarlison and Tottenham are currently “in dispute over the remaining nine months of his contract”.
The forward is said to be “exploring his options” and “keen to be released from his deal”. Spurs have pushed back firmly. They are not prepared to simply tear up his contract and let him leave for nothing.
Talks between the club and the player’s representatives are ongoing, but the situation has “escalated in recent days”. Richarlison wants a clean break. Tottenham want protection.
One key detail tilts the balance further towards the club: Spurs hold a 12‑month option to extend his contract until the end of next season. That extra leverage makes a settlement even less likely. As it stands, the club are unwilling to negotiate any payoff over the remaining term.
So the stalemate holds. Vasco wait. The window ticks down.
De Zerbi: “He didn’t want to”
Amid the off-field wrangling, Roberto De Zerbi has offered a glimpse into how the relationship with Richarlison unravelled over the summer.
“At the beginning of pre-season I spoke to Richarlison and asked him if he wanted to extend his contract because I was happy to keep him with us,” De Zerbi revealed.
“He didn’t want to. So, Richarlison is a good player, yes. He was important last season, yes, very important. He’s a good guy, yes. But in the end, I had to stop myself putting pressure on the players if the players show me they want to leave.
“I’m sorry for him, but we have to go to another page and work with Dominic Solanke and Omar Marmoush.”
That is the reality now. De Zerbi has moved on, at least in sporting terms. Solanke and Marmoush are his present and his plan.
Richarlison, though, is caught between two chapters – the one he no longer wants in north London and the one he is fighting to start back in Brazil.
By Friday night, he will know whether that new page has been torn out before he can even turn it.
