Brazilian media: Richarlison agrees to join Vasco, but Tottenham tell player they cannot loan him out

According to Brazilian media outlet ge, Richarlison has accepted the idea of joining Vasco da Gama, but Tottenham informed the player that the club currently cannot loan him to Vasco due to FIFA regulations on the number of loaned players.

Vasco have recently been trying to push forward with the signing of Richarlison, while the player himself is an openly declared Vasco fan. After receiving an approach from the club, Richarlison was excited about joining the team he supports and accepted the possibility of returning to Brazil to play for Vasco.

However, Tottenham informed Richarlison earlier on Tuesday afternoon local time that the club cannot complete the deal through a loan. According to FIFA regulations, a club can loan out a maximum of six players at the same time to clubs affiliated with other associations, and Tottenham have already reached that limit.

Tottenham currently have seven players out on loan: Pape Sarr and Vicario on loan at Juventus, Kevin Danso on loan at Sunderland, Dragusin on loan at Fiorentina, Sousa on loan at Porto, Koki Takai on loan at Sint-Truiden, and Min-hyeok Yang on loan at Westerlo.

Among them, Danso joined Sunderland, which is also within the English FA system, so he does not count toward FIFA's cross-association loan limit. The other six players have already filled Tottenham's relevant quota.

FIFA regulations state that players aged 21 or younger who were trained by the club themselves can be exempt from this restriction, but the player must have spent at least three seasons at the club between the ages of 15 and 21. None of Tottenham's current loaned players meet this exception.

The report states that Richarlison had previously expressed his desire to leave to Tottenham's management and head coach Roberto De Zerbi, and their relationship has therefore become strained. Richarlison was not included in Tottenham's Premier League squad registration for this season and is not part of the team's plans for the remainder of the campaign.

In recent days, Vasco fans have launched a large-scale campaign on social media to encourage the club to sign Richarlison. The player remains training at Tottenham to maintain his fitness while waiting for his future to be resolved.

Richarlison's contract with Tottenham expires in June 2027, meaning he can sign a pre-contract agreement with other clubs from December this year.

Vasco are currently 17th in the Brazilian league table and in the relegation zone, while they have also reached the quarter-finals of the Copa Sudamericana and the semi-finals of the Copa do Brasil. Brazil's current transfer window will close this Friday.