Fluminense attempted to acquire Richarlison (Tottenham), but both the player and the club expressed their refusal, effectively leading the negotiations to a standstill. At the same time, Tottenham is attempting to acquire Mathys Tel (Bayern Munich), which could directly affect Son Heung-min's position.

Brazilian media BOLAVIP Brazil reported that Fluminense sought to acquire Richarlison on loan with conditions for a permanent transfer, including a promising player as part of the deal. The 19-year-old forward Kauan Elias (Shakhtar Donetsk) was mentioned as a negotiation card.

Richarlison began his professional career at Fluminense and played there for about 18 months before moving to England in 2017. Fluminense had planned to reach out to Tottenham this week with the long-awaited intention of his return, but the negotiations faced difficulties from the very start.

Richarlison is inclined to return to his hometown team but still maintains his determination to compete on the European stage. The same goes for Tottenham. Tottenham acquired Richarlison in the summer of 2022 for £50 million, approximately 83 billion won, including bonuses, and thus has no intention of accepting a transfer without clear terms.

Fluminense acknowledges that it is difficult to compete financially with Saudi Arabian clubs. In fact, Richarlison is currently attracting interest from several clubs in the Saudi Arabian league, and Fluminense has responded by proposing a deal that includes promising players, but Richarlison is firmly rejecting a transfer to Saudi Arabia.

Amid this trend, it has become more likely that Tottenham will keep Richarlison for at least one more season. Recently, head coach Ange Postecoglou has been utilizing Richarlison on the left side, and this arrangement could soon lead to a decrease in Son Heung-min's playing time.

Tottenham is aiming to fully acquire Bayern Munich's 19-year-old forward Mathys Tel, and if both Tel and Richarlison are included in the squad, Son Heung-min is likely to fall behind in the competition for a starting position next season.

The possibility of Richarlison returning to Everton, another former team, has also diminished. Everton's David Moyes clearly stated that the chance of a Richarlison return is 0 percent. The Athletic's Patrick Boyland reported Moyes's comments through his social media on the 9th.

Richarlison transferred from Everton to Tottenham in the summer of 2022. At that time, the transfer fee was £60 million (99.6 billion won), marking the highest transfer fee in Tottenham's history. Expectations were high, but the results were minimal.

During the 2022-2023 season, Richarlison scored only 1 goal in 27 Premier League matches, and in the 2023-2024 season, he recorded 11 goals, although there weren't many impressive performances. This season, due to the impact of injuries, he limited his appearances to 13 league matches, scoring only 4 goals, while adding just 1 goal in European competitions.

In light of this downturn, Tottenham has been considering selling Richarlison since last summer, particularly to a Saudi Arabian club, as a means to recoup their investment. With over 100 billion won invested, it was the only scenario to consider recovering the principal.

However, Richarlison has firmly rejected a transfer to Saudi Arabia, and the possibility of a return to Everton has also failed, leaving Tottenham struggling to find a sharp alternative.

Ultimately, the likelihood of Richarlison inadvertently remaining with the team has increased, and Son Heung-min is gradually being pushed to the back of the team’s plans.

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