Once a major tournament starts, the transfer window takes a back seat for most international players. All thoughts about club football are put to one side, while the hopes and dreams of a nation take precedence.
For some, though, it is not that straightforward.
There are a handful of players who are taking part in Euro 2024 or the Copa America, which starts today, whose contracts are close to expiring. On June 30, they will essentially become unemployed.
Finding their next club is a priority, so what happens to their search for a new club when international football takes over? And who will it affect this summer?
The Athletic consulted agents and recruitment sources to gain a glimpse into how negotiations unfold, and how it may differ from your typical transfer. All spoke on condition of anonymity, due to the sensitive nature of ongoing discussions and to preserve relationships.
How to follow Euro 2024 and Copa America on The Athletic…
It is rare for a player to enter a big tournament with their future completely undecided or without some idea of their direction of travel. But it does happen.
For most in that scenario, they try to put it all out of their mind. Kasper Schmeichel, formerly of Leicester City and Manchester City, is on international duty with Denmark while his contract at Anderlecht is due to expire. There is a mutual option to extend but, as it stands, that has not been taken up, according to sources familiar with his situation.
“The contract is expiring, and nothing has been decided. Anderlecht is still a possibility. But my plan has always been not to make any decision until after the Euros,” Schmeichel told the Danish outlet, Tipsbladet. “I don’t want any other thoughts in my head and I don’t want to spend any energy on anything else than the Euros. I have told that to the club. “
Another player in a similar boat is Lille’s 27-year-old midfielder Yusuf Yazici, who is on international duty with Turkey. He spelt out a similar stance to the French outlet Befoot last week. “It is true that certain clubs have shown interest with my agents,” he said.
“But it wouldn’t be fair to mention any particular club or deal. I am not closing the door to any club. At the moment, all my focus is on Euro 2024. After the tournament, I will have a lot of time to think about it.”
Yusuf Yazici played for Turkey against Georgia (Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images)
It is not always easy to keep a clear mind. While the player may be focused on his football, his agent can continue to talk to clubs, to assess interest, and that information, to varying degrees, will go to the player.
“It depends whether the player likes to be kept informed,” adds one agent involved in top-level transfers. Similarly, a Premier League recruitment source said: “Some players say they just don’t want to talk about transfers at all during a tournament. Others will listen.”
One memorable example was the Republic of Ireland defender Gary Breen at the 2002 World Cup. His contract was expiring with Coventry City and he had a good tournament, attracting interest from Inter Milan. Speaking in 2017, he reflected: “Prior to the Spain game (a round-of-16 penalty shootout defeat), I had agreed a deal with Inter. When we got back to Dublin, I flew out to Milan, I had the medical (test), failed the medical, and I still haven’t gotten over it.”
Breen would later sign for West Ham.
Sometimes, talks are concluded ahead of time on a pre-agreement basis and then can be signed off later. Most players would want their futures sorted before the tournament, such as how Kylian Mbappe has done with his transfer to Real Madrid.
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Circumstances can make it unavoidable though. In the case of Adrien Rabiot, one of the most high-profile examples this summer at the Euros, there was supposedly a deadline to resolve his future before the tournament, but that has not been met. He has an offer from Juventus, but his other options are limited or not at the level he is after.
“I thought my future would be settled before the Euro,” Rabiot said on Wednesday. “That’s not the case, but it doesn’t worry me. I’m focused on the competition. I’ve put that to one side. I’m talking to my agent, but that’s taken a back seat and I’m fully focused on the French team. I’m not worried about my future.”
Rabiot’s future is uncertain (Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)
With ongoing negotiations during the tournament, much depends on the relationship between the player and the agent, as well as the degree to which a player is engaged regarding background conversations. “If you start for your country, you’re tuned in,” says one agent involved in top-flight transfers. “If you’re a sub who never starts, then maybe you can zone out a bit.”
Another factor is the national side, and whether they will be willing to allow a medical to take place, or unhappy with a distraction from the main task at hand. “A nation like England probably wouldn’t take kindly (to a deal being completed during the tournament) but another small nation, with a high-profile player, might be more OK with it,” says a Premier League recruitment source.
It is a risk for players who are out of contract, particularly regarding injury. The tournament not only physically creates a barrier to negotiations, but clubs can be reluctant to advance talks if there is a risk of injury. “I’d argue it’s more complicated,” says another Premier League source working in recruitment. “There is way more risk attached with a free transfer when they are playing.”
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Clauses can be drafted into an agreement, even with a medical completed, that provides insurance against a long-term injury. A different Premier League source says they are aware of one loan deal in the past 18 months involving an obligation to buy where an injury would allow the club to opt out of the obligation.
On the flip side, running down your contract can pay off. One of the best examples in recent years is that of Hal Robson-Kanu, then of Reading and Wales, at Euro 2016.
He opted to run down his contract and then, at the tournament, helped Wales reach the semi-final. He also scored a memorable goal against Belgium in the quarter-finals. It led to more offers.
“Without doubt, running down my contract at Reading was the best decision of my life,” he told The Mirror during the tournament. “Reading wanted me to stay, but I felt it was the right time to move and take my future in my own hands. I always believed in myself.
Robson-Kanu had an excellent Euro 2016 (Michael Regan/Getty Images)
“We’ve had offers, I’ve made no secret of the fact that my desire is to play in the Premier League again and I think I’ve proved what I can do at the highest level.” After the tournament, he swapped Championship club Reading for Premier League West Brom.
Who else is in this situation at this summer’s tournaments? At the Euros, aside from Schmeichel, Yazici, and Rabiot, one of the highest-profile examples is Memphis Depay of the Netherlands. Depay’s Atletico Madrid contract is expiring because he did not meet a clause in his two-year deal that would trigger the second season.
Scotland have five players with their futures up in the air, including Che Adams who has had an offer from Southampton, but also has interest from Nottingham Forest and Wolves.
Saints team-mate Stuart Armstrong is another, and so too is Liam Cooper at Leeds who also has an offer from his club, and Nottingham Forest’s Scott McKenna. Motherwell’s Liam Kelly is a curious example: he chose to extend his deal with the club until the end of the Euros, to ensure the club received UEFA compensation for releasing him for the tournament. He is, though, close to joining Rangers, according to two sources briefed on the matter.
There is also Schmeichel’s team-mate and national team captain Simon Kjaer. His deal at AC Milan will expire on June 30. Some notable starters from the opening round of matches include Belgium goalkeeper Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg), Turkey striker Cenk Tosun (Besiktas), Switzerland’s Ricardo Rodriguez (Torino), and Serbia’s Luka Jovic (Milan). Marek Rodak (Slovakia and Fulham) and Andreas Weimann (Bristol City and Austria) are among those familiar with English football who have expiring contracts.
The Copa America also has some big names, although they are mainly based outside of North or South America, as contracts there tend to run until the end of the calendar year rather than the end of June like in Europe.
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Chile’s Alexis Sanchez is due to see his contract at Inter expire midway through the tournament, with many suspecting a return to South America may be on the cards. The contract of Argentina’s Angel Di Maria is also expiring at Benfica, and he has been linked with a move to Inter Miami. He could also renew with Benfica. Guido Rodriguez, the Real Betis and Argentina midfielder, was a target for Barcelona. But his future is, as yet, unknown.
Others familiar to English football audiences include Jamaica trio Bobby De Cordova-Reid, Michael Hector and Di’Shon Bernard, who have expiring deals at Fulham, Charlton and Sheffield Wednesday. Claudio Bravo, the Chile goalkeeper formerly of Manchester City, is also confirmed to be leaving Betis.
Peru’s Christian Cueva has an interesting circumstance. The midfielder is a free agent, having been without a club since February, and has not played since a loan spell at Alianza Lima, in late 2023, due to injury issues.
That should not stop him from reaching the highest heights, however. He only has to look at Jose Luis Brown, who entered the 1986 World Cup final without a club after knee trouble. He went on to score his only international goal for Argentina — in the final against West Germany.
(Lead photos: Getty Images)
