Everton rejected Chelsea player in last-ditch bid to hijack Richarlison to Tottenham move
Chelsea offered a player along with cash to try to hijack Tottenham’s deal with Everton to sign Richarlison, according to Jacob Steinberg.
A £60million move has been agreed with Spurs for the Brazilian forward, with between £5million and £10million dependent on achievements [Telegraph].
The connection between the Toffees boss and his former side is thought to extend to interest in a number of their players, and Goodison News pundit Kevin Campbell saw it as a benefit to selling the star forward there, but the inclusion of one wasn’t enough to convince the club.
The Telegraph report says that Everton were “insistent the deal be done on cash terms” and Chelsea “refused” to match the Spurs price.
Guardian journalist Steinberg reported on Twitter that there was cash plus an unnamed player on the table at the last but it wasn’t “enough to derail” the Tottenham deal.
The transfer of the 25-year-old is now imminent with his medical believed to have been successfully completed in Brazil.
Liquid assets
Lampard may well want players from Stamford Bridge this summer, just as he was thought to have an interest in some from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
But he is stuck with complicated situation involving the mooted June 30 deadline to satisfy the Premier League on the club’s accounts.
This would have only been further muddied by a back and forth over valuations of opposing players when it is money on the balance sheet that was required.
The Toffees boss may be able to return to both London sides once the end of the month passes in order to try to resurrect incoming moves, as there will be much more time to balance out expenditure then.
Younger talents such as Levi Colwill and Billy Gilmour may well be available at Chelsea, while there are a number of senior players thought to be for sale including Hakim Ziyech.
The Moroccan was brought to England under Lampard, who is believed to be interested in reuniting with his former player at Goodison.
The exit of Richarlison is a frustrating episode for the fans of the club, and while the fee has ended up higher than some feared, it could still have been higher.
Replacement players are what will really matter now with a large hole left by the sale, but if any are to come from Chelsea they will need to be a separate matter.