Richarlison Takes Legal Action Against Tottenham to Force Contract Termination

Richarlison and his entourage have decided to take legal action in order to terminate his contract and be able to freely join Vasco da Gama, who wishes to recruit him.

How the Situation Unfolded

Richarlison remains stranded in north London after failing to secure a transfer before the summer window closed. On deadline day, the Brazilian refused to be flogged off to Everton in a deal that would have seen Iliman Ndiaye join the North London outfit. Tottenham then signed Mykhailo Mudryk and removed Richarlison from their Premier League squad, also rejecting an offer from Trabzonspor.

Sources have told GiveMeSport that Richarlison believes he has a case to tear up the final year of his deal after being left out of Spurs’ Premier League squad.

Tottenham’s Position

Tottenham is not against his departure to Brazil, but is asking for more than €23 million for his transfer. Vasco are willing to pay a fee to make the deal happen, but Tottenham want over £20 million, which is not financially feasible for the Brazilian club at the moment.

Those close to Richarlison blame the Londoners for the failure of his transfer to Trabzonspor, a club which had made two offers. The first was around €17.5 million and the second was a little over €23 million. They were all refused.

Excluded From the Premier League Squad

Richarlison’s situation deteriorated following his omission from the 25-man Premier League squad, rendering him eligible only for cup competitions this term.

Tottenham did not simply lose interest in a fringe player. They moved away from a forward who had just been their leading league scorer.

Tottenham’s position is that Richarlison himself expressed a desire to leave before the club moved in another direction. Manager Roberto De Zerbi has repeated that publicly. The story is not as simple as Spurs throwing out their best striker. It is a breakdown in alignment between player, coach, club strategy and the transfer market.

The Legal Precedent: The Renan Lodi Case

Richarlison’s camp are studying the case of Renan Lodi, who successfully took unilateral action against Al-Hilal after being excluded from their Saudi Pro League registration squad, terminating his contract with the Saudi club in September 2025 after being left out because of the league’s foreign-player restrictions. Lodi obtained a unilateral termination of his contract and signed with Atletico-MG shortly after.

The relevance to Richarlison is obvious, even if the circumstances are not identical.

The Approach to FIFA

Richarlison has approached FIFA in an attempt to resolve the situation. The timing of the dispute is especially interesting because FIFA’s transfer regulations are already undergoing significant reform following the landmark Diarra litigation. FIFA approved a new regulatory framework in June 2026 after discussions involving player representatives, clubs, leagues, UEFA and other stakeholders. The new framework is scheduled to enter into force on January 1, 2027.

Richarlison’s Tottenham Career at a Glance

Waiving a transfer fee for a player originally acquired for £60 million represents a heavy accounting loss, but it would instantly remove Richarlison’s substantial salary from the club’s wage structure.

Tottenham’s Difficult Season

Despite spending over £300 million, Spurs are still winless and have not scored a single goal in their opening three Premier League games, having been beaten 3-0 by Brentford, 2-0 by Newcastle United and were perhaps lucky to hold Nottingham Forest to a 0-0 draw.

What Happens Next

Tottenham may prefer to hold their line and resist any attempt at an early termination. Richarlison’s side appear to be searching for a route that restores control over his immediate future. For Spurs, it is now a question of whether this remains an uncomfortable squad-management issue or becomes a formal legal confrontation.

Intense discussions are now underway between Richarlison’s legal representatives and Tottenham executives to determine whether a severance agreement can be structured before the Brazilian deadline arrives. If Tottenham grant the release, Vasco da Gama will be positioned to complete the registration as a free agent, finally ending Richarlison’s turbulent spell in north London.

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