Everton’s Brazil international forward Richarlison has signed a one-year contract extension with the Toffees, taking his deal through 2024.
The 22-year-old moved to Merseyside from Watford in a £40 million ($53m) deal in the summer of 2018, following manager Marco Silva from Vicarage Road.
He has scored 19 goals in 54 games for the club since then, including three in the Premier League so far this season.
“It shows his happiness [at Everton],” manager Silva told reporters
“It was key for me. It was something we have been working on for some weeks.
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“From the conversations I have had with Richarlison, I was clear how he is an important player for us. Our board said the same thing to him.
“We are doing this because we believe he can keep improving as a player and he can keep helping our team to win matches.”
Richarlison made his senior international debut soon after completing his switch to Everton, and currently boasts a respectable record of six goals in 19 appearances for Brazil.
His strong showings in his first season at Goodison Park, when he scored 14 goals in all competitions, attracted plenty of attention and Everton were thought to have rejected transfer offers from a number of clubs.
Everton will be hoping the contract breakthrough will prompt him into a spell of good form, as the under-fire Silva takes his side into a testing spell of fixtures.
Already languishing just four points above the relegation zone, Everton face away trips to the current Premier League top two – Leicester and Liverpool – before further fixtures against Chelsea, Manchester United, Leicester again, and Arsenal.
Director of Football Marcel Brands was clearly pleased to see Richarlison underline his loyalty to the club during a testing period, while he seemed to show his support for Silva as rumours continue to circulate about his future.
“We know in sport you always have to perform,” he told Everton’s website.
“That’s for me, that’s for the manager, that’s for the players, that’s for everyone.
“It’s also important, especially in this club after a couple of years of instability, to stick together in this situation.”