OPINION
Retaining your star players is of the most paramount importance for any club – and Everton is no exception.
The Toffees splashed out on the Brazilian playmaker earlier this summer, and it is suffice to say that he has made a rather impressive start to life at Goodison Park, bar the sending off against Bournemouth.
This is exactly why Everton fans will be left sweating after Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo reported that the 21-year-old is being scouted by Barcelona as transfer missions begin to assess him.
Now, some supporters will remember their summer signing talking to AS, where he said that joining the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid would be a dream move.
If anything, this recent news will have ensured that fans were even more concerned about the future of Richarlison at the club.
If Barcelona do come knocking in the forseeable future, it is hard to see the attacker turn down any sort of move to Spain – especially after his comments to AS.
It comes as no surprise that the La Liga giants have targeted Richarlison, but it does appear rather bizarre when you remember he signed a long-term contract upon his arrival.
At the moment, the interest is not concrete, but it is enough to make fans wonder what his fate will be come the January transfer window.
Many would think that he would not even contemplate moving seeming as he has only just joined Everton, but it would not be surprising if he would tempted should an offer come his way from the five times winning Champions League side.
The club faithful certainly do not want to see one of their star players depart any time soon, which is why they must be concerned about the link to Barcelona.
Richarlison is a player of immense quality and it would be a shame to see him leave the Premier League after already scoring three since joining Everton – but we will just have to wait and see whether anything actually materialises from this report.