World football governing body FIFA has agreed on interim transfer rules that allows players to change teams and go to the rebranded Club World Cup in the United States next summer, Afrosport reports.
The new rule allows clubs to make transfers between June 1 and 10 before the tournament commences on June 15 and runs until July 13.
Players cannot however represent two different teams during the tournament.
This new development gives room for players whose contracts expire on June 30 next year to sign early for any of the 32 qualified teams. Some of the potential free agents include Tottenham Hotspur forward Heung-Min Son and the Liverpool trio of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Other players whose contracts will be up in the summer include Bayern Munich duo Alphonso Davies and Joshua Kimmich and Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne
FIFA also agreed on an exemption for clubs to release players for national duty in matches and tournaments that will clash with the Club World Cup.
This will paticularly affect players of the United States and Mexico who might be called up for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup which runs from June 14 to July 6 and will also take place in the United States.
Hosting the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 ✨#TakeItToTheWorld | #FIFACWC
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) September 28, 2024
The 2025 Club World Cup will take place across 12 venues in 11 American cities.
