Premier League clubs have been scrambling to complete late business on what has been dubbed a ‘mini deadline day’ on Sunday.
The profit and sustainability rule (PSR) deadline on June 30 has top-flight teams fearing charges and possible points deductions.
The summer transfer window only officially opened earlier this month but activity in Europe so far has been minimal.
A large reason for that has been stars’ involvement in international competitions such as Euro 2024 and Copa America, with the actual close date not until Friday, August 30.
However, Premier League clubs may be forced to spring into action this weekend to ensure they comply with PSR rules.
When is PSR deadline and what does it mean?
The Premier League’s PSR regulations state that a club is not allowed to make a loss of more than £105million over a three-year period – and even less if they’ve spent part of that period in the Championship.
Last season, Everton and Nottingham Forest were both punished for breaches, with other clubs vying to avoid a similar fate.
This year’s deadline is Sunday, June 30.
This date marks the end of the Premier League’s financial year and it sees clubs submit their accounts to prove they’ve complied.
talkSPORT revealed in February that Chelsea may have to make £100million worth of player sales to avoid a breach.
The Blues have been one of the few teams conducting deals this month alongside fellow FFP worriers Aston Villa.
£35m Ian Maatsen headed to the west Midlands – at the same time, £19m teenager Omari Kellyman moved to Stamford Bridge.
talkSPORT’s Transfer Notebook previously reported that Newcastle face being forced to cash in one of their best players to raise funds for summer signings.
Our chief football correspondent Alex Crook said: “It’s almost like a mini-deadline day tomorrow and Newcastle, probably more than any other club, are up against it in terms of trying to shift players on to avoid any potential points penalties. So they could be busy.
“There’s definitely a case that some of the deal are clubs helping each other out in terms of PSR.
“Big day tomorrow [Sunday] because that’s when the end of the PSR period is.”
Deals cannot be processed on 30 June itself, as Sunday is not a working day.
However, clubs can provide the paperwork to show the Premier League the intent to do business so that a transfer this weekend can be squeezed into this year’s balance sheet.
Chelsea have been the highest spenders since the Todd Boehly-led takeover but have also proved the savviest in terms of recouping.
The Blues spread the cost of higher-value arrivals through an accounting process called amortisation, while simultaneously flogging academy players whose sales represent pure profit.
The latest transaction with Aston Villa was mutually beneficial for both parties but did catch the attention of the Premier League after ‘a significant number requested clarification’.
As a result, the Premier League wrote to every club to outline their guidelines to avoid teams deliberately selling each other players at high prices to exploit PSR loopholes and thus limit respective losses.
There is no suggestion any team have broken the rules.