Richarlison’s proposed return to Brazil with Vasco da Gama has broken down after Tottenham and the Brazilian club reportedly reached an agreement on a transfer fee but could not complete the player’s contract.
The 29-year-old now appears increasingly likely to remain at Tottenham beyond Brazil’s transfer deadline, despite being omitted from Roberto De Zerbi’s Premier League squad. That decision leaves him unable to play domestic league football for Spurs before the next registration window, unless his situation changes through a departure or another administrative resolution.
A deal agreed, but no agreement with the player
Multiple outlets report that Vasco moved quickly late in the Brazilian window, having first seen a lower bid rejected before progressing discussions with Tottenham. The central obstacle was not the clubs’ valuation of Richarlison, but the terms and duration of the contract offered to him.
Reporting indicates that Vasco proposed a three-and-a-half-year deal, while Richarlison preferred a much shorter arrangement running to the conclusion of Brazil’s Serie A season in December. That difference matters beyond simple salary negotiations. A brief return would have enabled the forward to play in familiar surroundings before reconsidering options in Europe, whereas Vasco were apparently seeking a longer commitment from a player who remains a high-profile name in Brazilian football.
The reports agree that a temporary move was not available. Tottenham have already filled their permitted allocation of outgoing international loans, removing what might otherwise have been the compromise: a short spell with Vasco followed by a reassessment in January. A permanent transfer therefore required Richarlison to make a longer-term decision he did not appear ready to make.
That explains why an apparent agreement between clubs was never enough. Tottenham could accept a fee and Vasco could identify a role for the player, yet the deal still depended on Richarlison accepting the destination and the length of stay. His reluctance appears to have been about preserving future flexibility rather than rejecting a return to the club he supported growing up.
A second collapsed exit compounds Tottenham uncertainty
Vasco’s failed approach follows an unsuccessful attempt to take Richarlison back to Everton before the British deadline. Reports differ in the detail around the wider market: one account says Tottenham had agreed a £35m fee with Everton before personal terms halted the move, while another notes interest and unsuccessful bids from Trabzonspor alongside the Everton talks.
There is no dispute, however, over the broader pattern. Richarlison has had prospective exits without a completed transfer, and personal terms have become a recurring issue. That is particularly significant because his Tottenham contract has fewer than 12 months left to run, although Spurs hold an option to add another year.
The contractual position is also increasingly strained. Reports this week described disagreement over the final nine months of his existing deal, with Richarlison understood to be seeking release from that commitment. Another report said he had informed Tottenham that he intended to explore legal action. Neither side has publicly set out the precise basis of the dispute, so it remains unclear whether the conflict concerns payment, registration, training arrangements or the terms on which a release could be granted.
De Zerbi offered no substantive update when asked about the forward’s future, saying it was not his responsibility. His restrained response is understandable: the manager’s immediate issue is squad selection, while the club and player address a matter that now extends into contracts and potential legal disagreement.
What a stay would mean
Richarlison trained with the first team this week, but his registration status is the practical problem. Unless Tottenham find a solution, he faces months without Premier League involvement despite having been part of the side at the beginning of the campaign and, according to reports, finishing as the club’s leading scorer last season.
For Tottenham, leaving an experienced senior attacker outside the league squad creates an uncomfortable mismatch between sporting resources and availability. It may also weaken their position in later negotiations: prospective clubs know the player has limited match prospects in north London, while Richarlison knows he needs a route back to regular football.
Vasco, meanwhile, must plan without the attacking addition they had pursued as their Serie A campaign continues. Their immediate trip to Grêmio carries a 57% home-win probability, compared with 24% for a draw and 19% for a Vasco victory, according to the Grêmio vs Vasco da Gama prediction. The abandoned transfer will not decide that match, but it illustrates why Vasco had sought an experienced forward before the window closed.
Tottenham’s next league fixture is against Everton, the other club linked with Richarlison. The Tottenham vs Everton prediction assigns Tottenham a 17% chance of victory, with a 27% draw probability and Everton at 56%. Richarlison’s absence means there will be no immediate reunion on the pitch, only a reminder of a move that also failed to materialise.
January now looks like the likeliest point for a fresh solution, but the remaining questions are substantial: whether Tottenham exercise their extension option, whether the contractual dispute escalates, and whether Richarlison will accept the kind of longer deal that prevented a Vasco homecoming.