MANCHESTER, England — Premier League teams will experience a shift in the transfer window schedule this year, opening earlier than usual to benefit clubs participating in the upcoming Club World Cup.
This change was decided on Thursday when England’s top-tier football clubs agreed to temporarily unlock the window from June 1 to June 10. The Club World Cup, hosted in the United States, is scheduled from June 15 to July 13.
Ordinarily, the transfer window officially begins on June 16 and wraps up by September 1. This year, that timeline is being adjusted to accommodate teams in the 32-team Club World Cup, which showcases elite clubs, including Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, and Paris Saint-Germain.
Last year in October, FIFA instituted provisional transfer rules assisting players in securing transfers before the tournament kicks off. These modifications will allow players whose contracts conclude on June 30 to enter new agreements as free agents sooner than usual.
One of the notable players affected by this is Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose contract expires at the season’s end. Speculation connects him with a possible move to Real Madrid, making him eligible to represent the Spanish club in the competition’s later stages if he signs in advance.
In addition to Alexander-Arnold, other significant players nearing the end of their contracts include Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk from Liverpool, as well as Kevin De Bruyne from Manchester City.