As football around Europe tries to wake up from the Covid-19 shutdown, it seems odd to be talking about transfers.
But then again, football has always been a different beast to the rest of the world.
While the German Bundesliga returned in stadia devoid of fans, the sport in general is preparing for an economic crisis which will impact all levels of the game.
So it will be interesting to see just how visible that is in the transfer market, where it has become the norm to see leading clubs splash out 100 million-euro ($155.4m) fees.
The Premier League is a bit behind, of course, in terms of a restart.
Yet today clubs have unanimously agreed to resume contact training as plans to resume the season move to the next phase.
Players will be able to “train as a group and engage in tackling while minimising unnecessary close contact”.
Discussions are ongoing as work continues towards resuming the season, when conditions allow and it is safe. Nevertheless, this is a significant step forward.
That means before we know it, Premier League football action will probably be with us in around a month’s time – and that means we’ll move closer to the helter-skelter of the transfer window.
Proposals to complete the domestic campaign by the end of July and European competitions in August are gathering momentum, with the 2020-21 campaign pencilled in to start shortly afterwards in mid-September.
FIFA has told national associations they can schedule the transfer window when it suits them. Yet it’s far from simple.
For example, with the 2019-20 campaign set to extend past June, many players, including those on loan, will no longer legally be contracted to their clubs (just before the opening of the registration period).
And while that can surely be overcome, what about players for whom deals have already been agreed?
Hakim Ziyech is a perfect example of this potential difficulty, with the winger set to join Chelsea from Ajax on a five-year deal from July 1.
However, if leagues are to continue into August and September, then it is desirable to maintain the integrity of those competitions as much as possible by ensuring that squads remain more or less the same.
When the transfer window does reopen, there will certainly be no shortage of movement or speculation.
German forward Timo Werner continues to make suitors sit up and take notice, meanwhile Bayer Leverkusen Kai Havertz seems to grow in stature with every passing week.
And then there’s suggestions Manchester United are prepared to offer Alexis Sanchez to Borussia Dortmund in a bid to lure Jadon Sancho to Old Trafford.
Speculation has been rife about the future of the young England winger who has dazzled this season with 14 goals and 17 assists in 26 Bundesliga appearances.
Not surprisingly, as the first major European league to return, Bundesliga players have been heavily linked over the past fortnight but there have been plenty of players from other leagues tipped to make moves to the Premier League.
To name a few, Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho is a man in demand and has been linked to Newcastle, as well as London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea.
Liverpool are reportedly in advanced talks with Wolves about a summer switch for winger Adama Traore.
The cost of acquiring players has steadily increased in recent years but there is an acceptance that it could be now frowned upon morally, at a time when so many individuals, businesses and football clubs are up against it.
Clubs are losing money in gate receipts, advertising, merchandise and, perhaps most damaging of all, being forced to give up cash from broadcasting rights.
Furthermore, with matches for the foreseeable future being played behind closed doors, clubs across the continent are facing steep losses of income and seeking to cut costs.
That may mean the way forward is for a plethora of moves for soon-to-be experienced free agents out there with the likes of Willian, Thomas Meunier, Artem Dzyuba and Bournemouth man, Scotland international Ryan Fraser, all set to be available soon.
During a recent supporters’ forum, United chief executive Ed Woodward hinted that expectations should be tempered. “I cannot help feeling that speculation around transfers of individual players for hundreds of millions of pounds this summer seems to ignore the realities that face the sport,” he said.
It’s unclear whether that will be the case or if the unpopular CEO was just warning fans they will not buy big this summer.
Either way, a repeat of last summer – when clubs in Europe’s “big five” leagues in England, Germany, Spain, Italy and France spent a record €5.5 billion – seems unlikely to be repeated.
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