Richarlison 'Focused' on Watford Despite Admitting Desire to Play at 'Higher Level'

Richarlison has refused to close the door on a possible big-money move away from Watford, despite claiming that his 'focus' is solely on the Hornets at the

Richarlison has refused to close the door on a possible big-money move away from Watford, despite claiming that his 'focus' is solely on the Hornets at the moment.

The Brazilian star spoke to April's edition of FourFourTwo magazine about the potential to earn a bigger wage than he is currently commanding at Vicarage Road - said to be around £20,000-a-week - as a number of other Premier League clubs circle him with interest.

The likes of Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea have all been sniffing around Richarlison for much of the campaign and, whilst he harbours hopes of helping the Hornet finish as high up the table as possible, the 20-year-old failed to completely commit his future to the club.

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He said: “Look, everybody wants financial security for their family, and when a player says otherwise, he’s lying. If I play at a really high level, opportunities will come my way.

“But right now my mind is focused on Watford. I will raise my level. I think about playing in the Champions League and being the top scorer in the Premier League.”

Richarlison may not have even been plying his trade in England's top flight this term. Indeed, a move to Dutch heavyweights Ajax was all but sealed before Watford approached his agent at the eleventh hour.

Richarlison was not happy about being subbed off.

Garth Crooks has a pearl of wisdom for him... and a goal update for us!#bbcfootball https://t.co/aP4Sx3rRRu pic.twitter.com/qxNPW1FSHU

— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) March 3, 2018

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Then-Hornets gaffer Marco Silva convinced Richarlison that his future lay in the UK rather than the Netherlands - and the forward added that he didn't have to be asked twice about moving to one of the biggest leagues in world football.

He added: “Watford’s offer came out of nowhere. Everything was arranged for Ajax when I got the call from Marco Silva. I changed my mind because to play in England was a childhood dream. I didn’t think twice before coming here.”

The Under-20 international has notched five goals and five assists in 32 appearances for Watford so far this term, but none of those have come in the last 13 games he had featured in.