Yeahhhhhhhh I know, this is Gazzetta dello Sport, essentially the Daily Mail of the Italian sports media ecosystem. But there’s frequently at least a grain of truth in these kinds of rumors, and it’s silly season so let’s talk about it.
The story in question actually meshes three different transfer rumors — Juventus have a long-standing interest in goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, but also is working on signing former Spurs loanee Randal Kolo Muani, and now, maybe, Richarlison.
Here’s the gist: Juve CEO
Giovanni Carnevali is apparently close friends with Roberto De Zerbi, going all the way back to when both of them were at Sassuolo. Carnevali called RDZ recently to discuss Vicario, and Richarlison also came up in conversation. Vicario is in the mix to head to the Old Lady, though it sounds like Villa’s Emiliano Martinez is still the first choice.
Also first choice for Juventus is PSG forward and Spurs loanee Randal Kolo Muani, who had a previous stint at Juve, but PSG are driving a hard bargain — the report is that Juve have offered €40m to PSG, but they’re still €10m short of their valuation. So Richarlison could be considered as a plan B if good ol’ Randy can’t or isn’t willing to return to Italy. The Gazzetta report states that Richy is “not cheap” but could command €20-25m (£17-21.5m) in transfer fees, and that Spurs are considering selling Richy this summer if they get a good enough offer.
Richy is entering into the last year of his contract at Tottenham. He reportedly is happy and settled and doesn’t really want to leave, but if he doesn’t sign a new contract or if Spurs don’t offer him one, he could walk at the end of next season. Richy’s been a good striker for Spurs when he isn’t injured, but he’s spent a decent amount of time on the trainer’s table the past couple of seasons, and Spurs are looking at attacker options. The price listed sure seems on the low side, but Richy being near the end of his deal (and Juve not having the spending power of most Premier League clubs) is surely a factor here.
I dunno. I’m hesitant to put too much stock into this rumor, but it does seem plausible. Richy has also been linked with the Saudi Premier League and there are a couple other clubs sniffing around him, but I get the sense Spurs aren’t quite sure what to do with him. He could also be improved under non-Frankball tactics, but it remains to be seen if one last season with Richy would outweigh an underpriced sale from overseas for his services.
Something will likely happen to Richy this summer, but I’m not yet convinced it’s a move to Italy. Stay tuned — Bat Country is highly active.
