How transfers work
Two windows a year, loans that need the player's consent, clauses written into contracts and a spending limit that decides who can register new signings.
Key points
- There are two registration periods a year: summer, from July to early September, and winter, in January.
- A loan requires the player's express consent.
- A release clause is the amount a player must pay to end the contract unilaterally.
- Agreeing a deal is not enough: the club must be able to register the player within La Liga's squad cost limit.
Transfer windows
Clubs can negotiate all year round, but they can only register players during the periods set by the federation. FIFA allows each country two windows per season: one of up to 12 weeks and another of up to 4. In Spain the summer window usually runs from 1 July to 1 September and the winter one covers January.
When Spanish clubs can sign players
- Summer: early July to about 1 September
- Winter: January, to early February
There are exceptions: free agents can join outside the window if their previous contract ended before the window closed, and La Liga allows emergency signings when a club suffers a certified long-term injury.
Transfer, loan and free agent
- TransferOne club pays another to release the player from his contract and signs him to a new one.
- LoanThe player temporarily joins another club and then returns. It may include an option or obligation to buy.
- Free agentThe player's contract has ended and he signs for another club without a fee.
A loan requires the player's express consent, under article 11 of Royal Decree 1006/1985, which governs the employment of professional athletes in Spain. For international loans, FIFA also limits how many players each club can send out and bring in per season.
The release clause
Article 16 of the same decree allows an athlete to terminate his contract unilaterally by paying compensation. In practice, contracts set that figure in advance: the release clause. If another club wants the player without negotiating, the player deposits that amount (normally with the buying club's money) and becomes free.
That is why Spanish clubs give their stars very high clauses: it is the only way to stop them leaving without an agreement.
The squad cost limit
La Liga applies its own financial control: each club has a squad cost limit, calculated from its expected income and expenses. It includes wages and the amortisation of transfer fees. A club that exceeds it can only spend part of what it saves through departures on new signings.
Signed, but not registered
That is why a club sometimes announces a signing and then cannot register him: the contract exists, but La Liga will not register the player until the club makes room within its limit.
Follow the market in the transfer news section.
Frequently asked questions
Can a club loan out a player without consent?
No. A temporary loan needs the player's express consent (art. 11 of Royal Decree 1006/1985).
What happens if a club exceeds its squad cost limit?
LaLiga restricts what it can spend on new players until the excess is corrected, which is why a signing sometimes cannot be registered even though the deal is done.