Tottenham Hotspur attacker Richarlison has opened the door to a departure from the North London club if Real Madrid came calling.
The 26-year-old's debut season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was a miserable affair, as he managed just three goals and four assists in 35 matches for the Lilywhites.
Richarlison failed to open his Premier League account for Tottenham until his 23rd top-flight game, scoring an ultimately inconsequential goal in a 4-3 loss to Liverpool on April 30.
The Brazil international did manage to net a brace against Marseille in the Champions League, and injuries did not help his cause either, but he memorably labelled his debut campaign "s***" earlier this year.
Then-manager Antonio Conte agreed with Richarlison's blunt assessment, as the ex-Everton man started just 12 Premier League games for Spurs, who missed out on a spot in Europe with an eighth-placed finish.
© Reuters
Tottenham paid Everton £49.7m to secure Richarlison's signature last summer, but the striker confessed that it would be a 'dream' to pull on the Real Madrid shirt in the future.
When asked about a potential move to the Santiago Bernabeu by reporters while on Brazil duty, Richarlison said: "Real Madrid links? Of course, every player wants to wear the shirt of Real Madrid.
"It's the biggest club in the world. But I have a club, a contract, I have to prove why they bought me for a high price. But any player dreams of playing for Real Madrid."
Despite his struggles in the English capital, Richarlison remains a fundamental part of the Brazil squad, scoring three goals and setting up one more at the 2022 World Cup.
The 26-year-old's acrobatic goal against Serbia in the group stage was nominated for the Puskas Award, and he is believed to have been brought up in transfer discussions within the Bernabeu walls as Los Blancos prepare for life without Karim Benzema.
© Reuters
Carlo Ancelotti's side were not originally planning on making a big-money attacking acquisition this summer, as Benzema was widely expected to commit his future to the club until 2024.
However, the Ballon d'Or holder decided to call time on his Bernabeu career in favour of a move to Saudi champions Al-Ittihad, signing a three-year deal with Nuno Espirito Santo's team.
With Marco Asensio, Eden Hazard and Mariano Diaz also leaving, Real will bolster their attacking ranks ahead of the 2023-24 season and are being strongly linked with Richarlison's Spurs teammate Harry Kane, but the England captain's preference is to remain in England.
In addition, Real president Florentino Perez has confirmed that Kylian Mbappe remains on the club's radar amid fresh speculation over his future at Paris Saint-Germain, who have been told that he will not extend his stay beyond 2024.
Mbappe has expressed a desire to continue at the Parc des Princes next season, but PSG will supposedly try to sell him if he refuses to put pen to paper on a contract renewal.
