Spurs player admits Chelsea tried to sign him this summer

Tottenham Hotspur striker Richarlison has admitted that Chelsea tried to sign him during the summer transfer window.

The 25-year-old completed a £60million move from Everton in July, having signed a five-year contract with the north Londoners (Sky Sports).

He has made an impressive start to life at his new club, having scored two goals and provided two assists in eight matches in all competitions (transfermarkt).

Richarlison, who netted twice for Brazil last night in their 3-0 friendly win against Ghana spoke about his exit from Goodison Park while on international duty.

The Sun claimed earlier in the summer that Chelsea tried to hijack Tottenham’s deal for Richarlison with a late move, but were unwilling to match the offer tabled by their London rivals.

He told Goal: “I know Chelsea made an offer, and I believe Arsenal also contacted Everton to ask about my situation, but Spurs came in and paid the fee, you know? It’s as simple as that. Everton had to sell some players to avoid a Financial Fair Play problem, and the negotiations were very brief, to be honest.

“I was on holiday in Brazil when I heard that Tottenham had made Everton an offer. I was happy because they are a huge team. Then it was all about the clubs negotiating a deal, and fortunately, everything went well. Antonio Conte called me during the negotiations and expressed how much he’d like to have me on board – that was vital for my decision.”

SpursWeb Opinion

Tottenham showed early on in the window that they were intent on landing some important players to bolster Antonio Conte’s squad depth and Richarlison has already proven to be a valuable addition, given he offers something different and versatility to be able to play across the front three.

On many occasions in the past, we have missed out to Chelsea on important transfers and it is refreshing that we were able to leave them with eggs on their faces.

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