Mario Bittencourt, the president of Fluminense, has made an interesting admission about the club’s pursuit of Richarlison and his conversations with Spurs.
Over the last few days, a number of Brazilian outlets have talked up Fluminense’s interest in re-signing Richarlison in the upcoming transfer window.
It has been revealed that the Rio de Janeiro-based club have settled on the Spurs man as their primary target and that they are willing to invest significant capital to bring him on board.
Additionally, some sources have also claimed that the club have directly contacted Spurs and Richarlison’s entourage to explore the possibility of a fairytale return.
The club’s president, Mario Bittencourt, has now confirmed that their interest in the 27-year-old is concrete, revealing that he has a good relationship with the player.
The Fluminense supremo also confessed that Spurs are ready to listen to offers for Richarlison and explained why he remains optimistic even though a deal would be difficult.
When asked about a shock move for Spurs striker Richarlison, Bittencourt told UOL: “There are many players on offer. What we have in concrete terms at the moment is that we have expressed a formal interest in Richarlison. We know how difficult it will be to bring him, but perhaps because we want to be close to the national team, to return home to the club where he stood out.
“I have a very good relationship with him. I have contacted him directly, we have contacted the English club. There are no financial negotiations at this time. Our optimism is due to the fact that the club here also has interesting assets. We may have some good things to offer in the future, a preference, a right to buy one of our players in the future. Anyway, we are thinking about it, but the discussion is still very, very early.
“Firstly, they said that he is an important player for them, that they have made a large investment, but that they are open. They said that they are not interested in negotiating for the moment, but that they are open to listening. And we are also talking directly to the player to find out about his interest because you know that this is a move that also depends a lot on the player.”
Spurs would be hesitant to let Richarlison leave mid-season even if they bring another striker through the door.
The Lilywhites and the player will likely re-assess the situation at the end of the season, and based on Bittencourt’s admission, one would expect Fluminense to come knocking on the door again in the summer.
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