Manchester United and Barcelona are reportedly eyeing a summer move for Brazilian attacker Richarlison, who is valued at £100 million by Everton.
According to a report from The Sun, Manchester United and Barcelona have been told to shell out a transfer fee of at least £100 million if they want to sign Everton forward Richarlison in the summer transfer window.
Richarlison has been a revelation since he moved to the Premier League back in 2017. Having signed for Watford from Fluminense, the forward made a blazing start to life in England and while things fizzled out in the second half of the 2017-18 campaign, the 22-year-old’s star was on the rise.
Everton came calling last summer and following a big money move to Goodison Park, Richarlison has excelled greatly, establishing himself as a key component in Marco Silva’s side. The Brazilian international finished the 2018-19 season with a return of 14 goals and 2 assists from 38 appearances in all competitions.
This kind of form has led to Richarlison getting picked in the Brazil squad for the upcoming Copa America, while it has also fueled a lot of speculation surrounding his future with Everton. Several clubs across Europe are believed to have taken note of his exploits, with La Liga champions Barcelona chief among them.
The Catalans are looking to strengthen their attacking ranks ahead of the next season with Luis Suarez not getting any younger and Philippe Coutinho failing to live up to the lofty expectations placed on his shoulders. Fellow Brazilian Malcom too has had a disappointing debut campaign with Barcelona as well.
Coutinho’s future at Camp Nou is far from certain, while the same goes for Malcom as well. Should either of the two or both depart this summer, there would be a dearth of options in attack for the La Liga champions, which could be the reason behind their supposed interest in Richarlison.
However, they will have to battle Premier League giants Manchester United to his signing. The Red Devils are also in the market for fresh additions to their attacking department following a disastrous 2018-19 campaign that saw them finish outside the top four in the Premier League and miss out on qualification for next season’s Champions League.
Manchester United are expected to complete the signing of Swansea City youngster Daniel James in the coming weeks, but have their eyes on Richarlison as well, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to revamp the squad ahead of the upcoming term.
Given how important he was in his debut season, Everton have no intention of selling the 22-year-old in the current transfer window. However, should push come to shove, the Toffees will listen to offers in the range of at least £100 million as per the report, which will be more than double the fee they paid Watford to sign him a year ago.
Richarlison favours a stay in the Premier League, the report further adds, which gives Manchester United an edge in the chase. However, the chance of playing in the Champions League might tempt him to consider a switch to Barcelona. It remains to be seen how this story develops in the coming weeks.
