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Richarlison reveals Barcelona & Man Utd offers but is happy to be at Everton
The 23-year-old attracted attention from both Camp Nou and Old Trafford in the winter transfer window as he continues to impress
Everton's Brazil international Richarlison has claimed he received offers from two of the world's biggest clubs - Barcelona and Manchester United - in January that were each turned down by the Merseysiders.
Richarlison, 23, joined Everton at the start of the 2018-19 season from Watford and has gone on to be a key part of the Toffees squad, netting 13 goals in his first Premier League season and 10 to date in 2019-20 prior to the interruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The forward also lined up for Brazil in their successful 2019 Copa America campaign, and his fine performances for both club and country caught the eye in both England and Spain.
"There were lots of offers during the season, from Barcelona, from Manchester (United)," he revealed to Los Desimpedidos.
"But the club opted to keep me in the group and I didn't want to leave in the middle of the season. It's bad to leave team-mates like this."
Everton reportedly turned down a €100 million (£85m/$105m) offer from the Catalans to sign Richarlison in January, and he admits that he was flattered by the interest from Camp Nou.
"Of course you feel impacted, Barcelona is one of the greatest clubs in the world, but I think happiness plays its part as well," he added.
The Toffees restart their Premier League campaign with a daunting Merseyside derby at home to table-topping neighbours Liverpool on Sunday.
Manchester City's midweek victory over Arsenal means that the Reds cannot clinch their first title in 30 years against their rivals, but they will nevertheless be looking for a win that would leave them one step closer to the crown.
Everton, then, will need strong performances from the likes of Richarlison to get a result; and his team-mate Bernard believes he is up to the task.
“Richi is capable of adapting to any scenario during a match,” Bernard told EvertonTV.
“He's the type of player who's really aggressive in the box. He's fearless and not scared of putting himself about or taking a whack.
“Whatever is happening, the important thing for him is putting the ball in the back of the net. This makes him who he is, a player with a massive presence in the box.”
