He has been left out of the club's 25-man Premier League squad list and became a frustrated figure in north London in recent times.
De Zerbi has recently been discussing publicly how Richarlison "wants to leave".
And Flashscore sources have since revealed how the Spurs boss has worked in co-ordination with the Spurs hierarchy to decide it would be better for the team if Richarlison was not part of the ongoing plans.
It helped pave the way for Tottenham to sell the 29-year-old to Trabzonspor today - if the Turkish club produce a suitable offer. They have already had an informal offer of £20 million knocked back and are expected to make another approach before their transfer window closes today.
Richarlison is keen on the move and likes the idea of playing alongside former Liverpool star Mohamed Salah.
But sources also indicate that De Zerbi began to harbour more serious doubts about Richarlison's role after the club signed Omar Marmoush from Manchester City on August 27.
Marmoush will compete and rotate with Dominic Solanke to be the club's leading forward this season.
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It left Spurs in a situation whereby Richarlison's minutes are likely to become very limited, and as such it was felt it may become better for the club if he was moved on.
The 29-year-old had been involved in a proposed swap deal involving Iliman Ndiaye, which would have seen him return to Everton. That deal collapsed on Monday, and Richarlison has posted on social media suggesting his future should not be dictated by others.
Spurs have had to weigh up what to do about his situation, though - as they were already approaching a decision on whether to trigger a clause in the last year of his contract to protect sell-on value.
Discussions with Trabzonspor have opened up an exit opportunity that could suit all parties.
Richarlison has verbally agreed personal terms, which are understood to significantly exceed his Tottenham earnings.
Now Trabzonspor are also having to trim their squad at the same time as trying to find an agreement in club-to-club talks today. If they can do that, Richarlison's departure from Tottenham will be signed off.