FIFA have announced a new 10-day transfer window for next summer to accommodate the Club World Cup, which could involve Liverpool’s out-of-contract players
FIFA is set to introduce a special transfer window next summer, aimed at addressing issues posed by the Club World Cup schedule.
The global tournament is scheduled to take place in the United States from June 15 to July 13, and will feature 32 teams including Manchester City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich. The timing of the event has led to complications due to player contracts expiring on June 30.
Without adjustments to the current transfer window system, star players like Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan could find themselves without a club mid-competition. Additionally, loan arrangements such as Jadon Sancho’s move from Manchester United to Chelsea are also due to end on June 30.
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Bayern Munich faces a similar predicament with seven of their players, including Joshua Kimmich and Alphonso Davies, approaching the ends of their contracts.
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Similarly, clubs participating in the tournament may be distracted by endeavours to snap up free agents, potentially involving Liverpool’s prominent trio Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who are all nearing contract expiry dates, reports the Mirror.
Everton also have as many as 10 players out of contract at the end of the season, who could potentially be of interest. That list includes striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
To combat these challenges, FIFA has announced plans for a 10-day “exceptional registration window” starting from June 1. This measure would allow players to sign with new clubs in time to participate in the Club World Cup.
The proposal received unanimous backing at the FIFA council meeting on Thursday and is expected to receive formal approval from national football associations imminently. In a game-changing move, FIFA will open up an additional six-day temporary transfer window starting June 27 for clubs involved in the Club World Cup, allowing them to make last-minute squad adjustments for players with expiring contracts.
This rule change means players could turn out for two different teams within the same season if they switch sides before the tournament commences; however, playing for two teams within the competition itself is off-limits. For instance, a player like Davies could potentially be snapped up by Real Madrid from Bayern just before they potentially clash in the Club World Cup.
Traditionally, football clubs have been restricted to conducting transfers only during the designated summer and January windows. Yet, this isn’t an unprecedented step from FIFA – back in 2020, in response to the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, they altered transfer regulations to accommodate the extended season that bled into summer months.
FIFA’s “objective” behind these changes is to “encourage clubs and players whose contracts are expiring to find an appropriate solution to facilitate the players’ participation” in the tournament. Despite these efforts, the Club World Cup has struggled to capture broadcaster interest, with many shunning the rights bidding process.
This lacklustre reception led FIFA president Gianni Infantino to call an emergency meeting in hopes of bolstering the tournament’s appeal.
“The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will kick off a new era for club football across the world, with the top teams competing to be crowned the official FIFA club world champions,” Infantino insisted. “These regulations will ensure that the best possible conditions are in place in order for all 32 participating clubs and the best players in the world to shine at the highest level.”