Watford chief executive Scott Duxbury has issued a ‘hands-off’ warning to Chelsea and Tottenham for their pursuit of Richarlison, reports the Evening Standard.

The two London clubs have been keen on procuring the 20-year-old’s signature after an impressive start to life in the Premier League, but Duxbury has made it clear the winger will not be sold in the January transfer window.

“We want Richarlison to be here for many more seasons. We are building a very competitive squad, we have no need to sell,” he said.

“We believe in the season being a race and that’s why we will never sell a player in January who we believe will help us. Nobody will be sold that we don’t want to. None of the players making an impact now will go.”

Richarlison has impressed for Watford since his £11m summer move from Fluminense, scoring and creating nine goals in 14 league games this season. Watford will brace themselves from intense interest as a result of such form, but it’s clear they aren’t looking to dismantle the squad just yet.

The Sun have hinted that the Hornets could more than double what they paid for the young winger in the summer, but with the side looking to consolidate in the top flight and put up a fight for a top-half or upper mid-table finish, they’ll need to keep their best players.

Watford have enjoyed a good start to the new Premier League season under manager Marco Silva, and they’ll be keen to build on such strong foundations, rather than let their best players leave just months after bringing them to Vicarage Road.

Stats from Transfermarkt