The idea of Richarlison returning to his old team, Fluminense, has been the subject of conjecture in the Brazilian media over the past several weeks. Mario Bittencourt, the club's president, later acknowledged last week that they have contacted Spurs and the 27-year-old over a contract.

Other Brazilian teams, such as Flamengo, Corinthians, Palmeiras, and Vasco da Gama, may have also looked at signing the Spurs star, according to various reports in recent days. According to GE Globo, officials from Fluminense and Spurs met on Friday to discuss the potential of making a deal. Negotiations broke down after Richarlison's previous club "did not receive a positive response" from the North London team. Spurs, according to the site, were "adamant" that the striker would not be sold in January and that they would be relying on him through the conclusion of the season.