Saudis plan €70m Premier League transfer raid

Stuart Telford

• 7 Dec 2023 14:37 GMT
• 3 min read

Richarlison could swap Tottenham Hotspur for the Saudi Pro League in January, according to reports.

Richarlison looked poised to become Harry Kane's successor at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when the England captain was sold to Bayern Munich in a €110 million deal in the summer, but poor form before injury derailed that idea.

Brazil's first-choice No.9, Richarlison only managed a goal and three assists in 11 Premier League games before undergoing surgery on a groin injury in November.

In his absence, Son Heung-min has been used as a striker, from where he has contributed nine goals and two assists, and Richarlison's time in North London could be up.

Tottenham want big money

"Richarlison has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia in recent months, and though the Pro League are not looking to make many marquee signings during the January window, the 26-year-old is among their current targets," report 90min's Sean Walsh and Graeme Bailey.

"However, Tottenham are unlikely to agree to a sale unless they are able to recoup at least the total £60m package they spent to bring Richarlison to north London in the first place."

Spurs paid Everton an initial £50m to sign Richarlison in the summer of 2022, and would be doing well to reclaim the bulk of that fee with the player now valued at €36.2m (£31m) per FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm.

Which Saudi club are at the front of the queue for the Brazilian wasn't reported, but it is understood Ange Postecoglou is interested in being reunited with his former Celtic winger Jota, and the Portuguese could be used as a makeweight by Al-Ittihad.

Micky van de Ven's recent hamstring injury has made cover at centre-back a more pressing concern, however, with Postecoglou recently linked with another Scottish Premiership protagonist in Aberdeen's Montenegro defender Slobodan Rubezic.