Richarlison launches Tottenham contract fight amid desperate new push to ESCAPE De Zerbi nightmare

Richarlison has taken his Tottenham Hotspur situation to the next level by consulting lawyers over a potential move to terminate his contract and leave the club for free, TEAMtalk understands.

The Brazil international is now exploring whether he can argue that Tottenham are preventing him from practising his profession after leaving Roberto De Zerbi cruelly decided to leave the 29-year-old out of the club’s Premier League squad, leaving him facing a period of time without first-team football.

Indeed, sources have learned that Richarlison and his representatives have held talks with a legal team as they examine whether there is a route to cancel his Spurs contract through FIFA.

Tottenham do not accept that he has grounds to walk away from the club, but Richarlison believes his current situation is untenable.

The 29-year-old was left out of Tottenham’s Premier League squad after turning down a return to Everton during the English transfer window, and that decision infuriated Spurs, we are told.

Terms were all but in place for Richarlison to return to his former club, with Tottenham keen to move him on after making it clear he was no longer part of their plans and with De Zerbi having sanctioned the move.

But Richarlison decided he did not want to go, and he is now paying the price for that decision, with his omission from the Premier League squad meaning he cannot play in the competition until January at the earliest.

TEAMtalk understands Tottenham are hugely frustrated by the situation. Spurs were prepared to let Richarlison leave and had gone some way towards facilitating his departure, only for the player to reject the move.

As a result, the dispute could become a legal one. Richarlison’s camp are understood to be looking closely at the case of fellow Brazil international Renan Lodi, who successfully took unilateral action against Al-Hilal after being excluded from their Saudi Pro League registration squad…

DON’T MISS: Shock Richarlison transfer ON with Tottenham ‘offer’ deemed ‘viable’ as manager speaks out

Richarlison to follow Lodi example as he seeks Spurs solution

Lodi terminated his contract with the Saudi club in September 2025 after being left out because of the league’s foreign-player restrictions.

The defender said he had tried for several weeks to find an amicable solution with Al-Hilal but received no response before deciding to assert his rights as a worker.

Al-Hilal subsequently confirmed receipt of Lodi’s termination letter after he had travelled to Brazil and threatened legal action to protect the club’s interests. That case is now firmly on Richarlison’s radar.

The Tottenham forward’s argument is that being contracted to a club while simultaneously being prevented from playing could amount to being denied the opportunity to practise his profession.

Spurs strongly disagree, but TEAMtalk understands Richarlison is now taking the matter further, and his representatives are investigating whether the Lodi case can provide a precedent for his own situation.

The timing is significant as Richarlison has already seen two moves fail to materialise.

His proposed return to Everton collapsed after he decided against leaving, despite Tottenham making it clear they were willing to sanction the transfer. A move to big-spending Turkish club Trabzonspor has also failed to come off.

Vasco da Gama, meanwhile, remain ready to offer Richarlison a route back to Brazil, as TEAMtalk revealed earlier this month, and have held talks.

But there is a sticking point as Richarlison wants to leave Tottenham as a free agent and then have the ability to potentially move in January again after a spell with Vasco.

His current Spurs contract runs until the end of the season, but his camp are now exploring whether they can bring that agreement to an early end.

READ NEXT: Paul Scholes says big-money Tottenham midfield signing will fail under Roberto De Zerbi