There have been a lot of moves this summer and there’s currently a lot of drama about where Mbappe and Kane are going to end up, and I don’t understand how the transfer fees work or why players can reject transfers
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A player is registered to a club. So for as long as that is the case, that player cannot play for any other club. When the player joined the club he or she signed a contract stating the club would hold that registration for a certain period of time, measured in seasons/ years normally.
If the player decides to leave the club they must request that the club sell them to an interested party. If the club agrees, they will discuss a transfer fee with any clubs that they are interested in selling to.
If the club decides to sell the player, the player can either agree to talk to the interested party and see what they are offering, or tell the original club that they are not interested in joining that club.
That’s where things can get complicated. A player who refuses to leave has every right to stay, but they may find they are dropped from the playing squad. And in the reverse situation, where the player wishes to leave but the club refuses to sell them, there are few options available to the player that will not contravene their contract. They could refuse to train or play, but in both instances will have wages docked for failing to fulfil their contractual obligation.
There are some other things to note – when a player signs for a new club the new club will pay a transfer fee of which some might go to the player and / or their agent. The player will also get a signing-on fee from the new club. In some instances, when handing in a transfer request, the player may well no longer be able to claim any of the transfer fee.
And once a player’s contract runs out, they are a free agent and can negotiate with any club they wish. Players in the Premier League can begin negotiations with non-PL teams from six months before their contract ends. If they wish to join a PL team at the end of their contract they must wait for the contract to expire.
It’s also worth noting that a club can only approach another club. They are not allowed to approach a player and ask if they would like to join before approaching the player’s club. And while that has been the case for as long as I can remember, players – and their agents – absolutely do talk to clubs before official approaches are made.
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