The deadline for this summer’s transfer window has been brought forward to 7pm — four hours earlier than it usually closes.
Clubs in England have been informed of the shift from 11pm (BST) to 7pm and will need to adjust accordingly to ensure they do not miss out on a late deal.
The move comes after the Football Association (FA), the Premier League and the English Football League (EFL) agreed to implement the change.
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One of their reasons for doing so was to provide staff working across football clubs on deadline day a more normal working pattern.
Conversations have also taken place with European leagues to ensure there is unity, and the expectation is they will be implementing similar changes.
Due to this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup, it was confirmed in March that there will be two transfer windows.
The first, specifically for Premier League sides, is an additional 10-day window between June 1 to June 10 after FIFA, world football’s governing body, granted permission for an exceptional interim transfer window.
This means Chelsea and Manchester City, the only two English sides competing in the revamped Club World Cup in the United States next month, could add to their squads ahead of the tournament, which begins on June 14.
Other Premier League clubs can buy and sell players during the same 10-day period, with this window also closing at 7pm.
The main summer transfer window will open on June 16, six days after the interim window closes, and will remain open until September 1.
There had been discussions about bringing it forward and closing it before the season gets underway, but an agreement could not be found as English clubs would be at a disadvantage compared to their European counterparts.
Clubs normally have a two-hour grace period to complete deals after the window closes, although the relevant paperwork will need to be submitted to the FA by 7pm.
A decision is yet to be made on the time the winter transfer window, which will open on January 1 and close on February 2, will close.
(Photo: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
