Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has been spotted holding talks with Everton counterpart Bill Kenwright amid Spurs’ interest in Richarlison.
Standard Sport understands that Spurs are keen to sign the Brazilian, who looks increasingly likely to leave Goodison Park this summer, despite Everton avoiding relegation from the Premier League at the end of last term.
On Tuesday morning, former BBC journalist Jon Sopel revealed he had seen the two club chairmen dining together at a restaurant in Mayfair on Monday night.
Sopel tweeted: “If Richarlison does come to @SpursOfficial suspect history will show agreement was reached last night. Bill Kenwright and Daniel Levy were having dinner together in Scott’s - and I was at table next to them…”
Everton want more than £50million for Richarlison but must recoup funds from player sales before spending themselves and could be forced to lower their asking price.
They are also one of a number of clubs interested in Tottenham midfielder Harry Winks, who could be used as a makeweight in the deal.
Spurs could yet face competition for Richarlison from Chelsea, who need to revamp their forward line after agreeing to loan Romelu Lukaku back to Inter Milan, though Raheem Sterling is currently their No1 attacking target.
Antonio Conte has made it clear he wants to build a squad capable of challenging for trophies at Tottenham, and Richarlison is among their top targets.
If Richarlison does come to @SpursOfficial suspect history will show agreement was reached last night. Bill Kenwright and Daniel Levy were having dinner together in Scott’s - and I was at table next to them…#COYS https://t.co/LFMVK01tIA
— Jon Sopel (@jonsopel) June 28, 2022
Spurs are also interested in Raphinha and Conte wants Tottenham to secure more signings in time for their pre-season tour of South Korea.
There is an understanding that a big-money move for a new forward could drag on longer but ideally Conte wants to boost his squad further before Spurs fly out to Asia on July 9.
Joe Lewis, the multi-billionaire Tottenham owner, has injected an extra £150m into the club to guarantee Conte major backing in the transfer market.
Spurs have already been active this summer. They have signed Yves Bissouma in a £25m deal and brought in Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster on free transfers.
They are also targeting a £15m move for right wing-back Djed Spence and want to sign a left-sided centre-back.
