Richarlison's cryptic message on social media is going viral after Everton deal agreed

Richarlison has posted a cryptic message to social media following reports that he is set to return to Everton from Tottenham Hotspur.

The Athletic's David Ornstein reported on Sunday morning that Spurs had agreed a deal in principle for the Brazil international to leave the club and return to Merseyside.

The 29-year-old has remained a popular figure among Toffees fans, even four years after his departure.

He played through injury towards the end of the 2021/22 season - his last at the club - and scored 11 goals to keep them in the Premier League.

He is now set to make his return to Everton in a deal worth a reported fee of £35 million, with Toffees star Iliman Ndiaye going in the other direction to Spurs for £60 million.

It is claimed that the Ndiaye and Richarlison moves are not part of a swap deal and are instead separate transfers.

READ MORE: Spurs agree stunning double deal with Premier League rivals after Cody Gakpo decision

Fabrizio Romano reports that Everton are also in advanced talks with Manchester City to bring Jack Grealish back to the Hill Dickinson Stadium after a loan spell at the club last season.

In Richarlison's case, the Brazil striker started Spurs' 3-0 defeat to Brentford on the opening day of the Premier League season but was not in the squad for Saturday's 2-0 home loss to Newcastle.

Injury issues have affected his time at Spurs since his £60 million move from Everton in 2022, but he has scored a number of important goals for the club and netted 11 times to keep them in the Premier League last season.

Richarlison has posted to his Instagram account since the reports of his transfer to Everton emerged and, while it stops short of a farewell message, it has raised plenty of questions among fans from both clubs.

Alongside a thinking emoji, the Brazilian posted a photo of himself in a Spurs shirt and a mural written in Portuguese, which translates into English as: "I am the villain of many poorly told stories."

Richarlison has also appeared to disable comments on his latest post, which has racked up over 33,000 likes within an hour.

What Richarlison said about Everton exit

In 2022, he told FourFourTwo that he was 'happy' at Everton and described them as a 'big club with a lot of history', but suggested that the Toffees suffered from 'a lack of ambition'.

"I spent four years there and I could see there was still a very long way to go to achieve big things," he said.

"I felt it was the right time to move on, and the club also had to make some money. It was a good deal for everyone involved. I'm delighted with this new challenge at Spurs."

Four years on, Richarlison will hope his return to Everton will be at least just as profitable in terms of winning trophies, with the Brazilian having captured the 2025 Europa League title with Spurs under Ange Postecoglou.