FIFA has approved temporary transfer rules to help players switch teams and participate in the Club World Cup in the United States next June and July.
This decision on Thursday allows players whose contracts end on June 30 to sign early as free agents for one of the 32 teams qualified for the revamped FIFA club tournament, including Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain.
Possible free agents that Club World Cup teams might target include Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Virgil van Dijk, as well as Lille forward Jonathan David and Tottenham captain Son Heung-min.
FIFA’s council approved interim transfer rules that allow member federations to open a special transfer window from June 1-10.
If clubs reach agreements, the FIFA changes would let players join a new team for two weeks starting in mid-June, before their official contract ends, in a tournament that is still considered part of the current season.
If the Club World Cup had been set for this year, Kylian Mbappé’s potential free agency on June 30 would have complicated his ability to play in the U.S. as either a PSG or Madrid player.
FIFA aims to assist players attending the Club World Cup by allowing those with expiring contracts to sign a two-week extension through to the end of the June 15-July 13 event.
Key players at Club World Cup teams with contracts ending in June include Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and Bayern players Alphonso Davies and Joshua Kimmich.
FIFA suggested that short-term extensions could be “an appropriate solution” to enable players to participate, while also providing a window from June 27 to July 3 for teams to update their tournament squad list and replace players whose contracts expire without renewal.
