ZURICH.- The FIFA established a provisional transfer window in order to facilitate player transfers for the Club World Cup which will be played in the United States between June and July of next year.
With the change announced on Thursday, FIFA opens the door for players with contracts that expire on June 30 to sign earlier with one of the 32 teams qualified for the expanded Club World Cup. The list of participants includes Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, River Plate, Boca Juniors, Palmeiras, Flamengo and Fluminense.
Among the figures who could be sought by the World Cup qualifiers when they are free at the end of the season, three members of Liverpool stand out: Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk. There are also Jonathan David, the Canadian striker from Lille, and Son Heung-min, the South Korean captain from Tottenham.
The FIFA Council approved the provisional change that allows federations to have the option of opening the transfer market from June 1 to 10.
If there are agreements between clubs, the FIFA change will allow players to represent a new team for two weeks from mid-June, just before their formal contract expires, in a tournament that is technically still part of the current season.
If the Club World Cup had been held this year, Kylian Mbappé’s departure as a free agent on June 30 would have made it difficult to travel to the United States as a PSG or Real Madrid player.
FIFA wants to encourage the presence of outstanding players in the Club World Cup and would make those whose contracts are about to end sign two-week extensions at the end of a tournament that will be played between June 15 and July 13.
Among notable players from World Cup-qualified clubs with contracts expiring in June are midfielder Kevin De Bruyne (Man City) and Alphonso Davies and Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich).
A player will not be able to represent two different teams during the tournament that will be staged in 12 stadiums.
Another modification
FIFA also approved an exception to the regulations that requires clubs to release players to national teams on dates that correspond to the international calendar.
This affects players from Mexico and the United States who could be called up for the Gold Cup — the CONCACAF national team tournament — which will also be played in the United States from June 14 to July 6.
The Club World Cup includes Seattle Sounders, León, Monterrey and Pachuca for having won the CONCACAF Champion’s Cup. There is one additional spot that is open for an MLS club to represent the host country.
