Are there trades in soccer

Loan deals with options to buy, sales with options to buy back , part exchanges and who knows what else. There are also work permits to consider when players are coming into the United Kingdom, and the rules to which teams have to adhere to receive one are not always clear-cut.

All in all, there is no one set way that transfers have to be processed. The variety and lack of clarity makes things incredibly stressful for all involved—not least the fans, who wait in the modern age of instant technology for days upon days, hoping at last to see "confirmed" alongside the names of players their team have been linked to for weeks.

In any given transfer, all three parties have a role to play and have an amount of power. Length of contract is a hugely difficult factor to take into account; in an age of Bosman transfers, three years left on a deal is an eternity, two a balancing act between taking the big money and letting the contract run down, and one year remaining almost certainly equals a massive reduction in asking price.

At that point the balance of power seems to shift firmly toward the player, though again, specifics such as his age and position will all play a part. The next two months will provide many more indications of just how complex the nature of transfers are in world football, with deals dragging on for days or weeks before a successful conclusion.

For supporters, the only thing that matters is the squad lists at the end of the window. For clubs, players and agents alike, an awful lot of telephone calls, meetings and skilled negotiations have to go into each deal just to make a move happen. It's a balancing act, one which shifts on a window-to-window basis with each potential transfer, and one which isn't going away anytime soon. Enjoy our content? Join our newsletter to get the latest in sports news delivered straight to your inbox! Your sports.

Join Newsletter. Jadon Sancho Left Winger. Lionel Messi Right Winger. All summer transfers. Neymar Left Winger. Coutinho Attacking Midfield.

Erling Haaland Centre-Forward. Harry Kane Centre-Forward. Kevin De Bruyne Attacking Midfield. Top Emiliano Tade Centre-Forward. Chelsea have conceded significantly more goals than expected goals in each of the past two seasons, and Kepa's perhaps been the biggest culprit. Basic metrics like save percentage put him near the bottom of the league, and more advanced systems like post-shot xG , which takes into account the difficulty of the shots a keeper faces, do the same. Kepa has the look and the size of a great keeper, but over the past 18 months he's allowed a bunch of goals on shots that the average keeper would save.

Fabianski, on the other hand, had one of the best keeping seasons in Premier League history for West Ham last year, and the idea of "Flappy-hand-ski" has quickly become a myth. He's 34 and currently injured, but keepers age more gracefully than outfield players, and even if Chelsea weren't keen to replace Kepa, the Pole could at least provide some stiff competition. With a talented, young, and deep squad boasting multiple capable players at seemingly every position, a shot-stopping keeper would provide a more immediate, obvious upgrade than anywhere else on the field.

West Ham would be trading away arguably their most important player from last season in exchange for a German international who was also lights-out for much of last season. With the emergence of year-old Fikayo Tomori and year-old Kurt Zouma at center-back, plus year-old Andreas Christensen waiting in the wings, Chelsea can afford to offload the year-old Rudiger. The Hammers have -- by far -- the worst defense in the league, but that's not necessarily because of Fabianski's injury.

His backup, Roberto, has also saved an above-average number of shots. However, the team is allowing right around two xG per game. They don't need someone to stop the shots; they need someone to prevent the shots from happening in the first place. We needed at least one multi-team trade, so here it is. Xhaka's become persona non grata at Arsenal, but despite a number of high-profile, self-inflicted gaffes, he remains one of the best passers in the Premier League. Play a game of word association with Burnley and your time on Earth will likely expire before you even come close to landing on "passing.

Xhaka would give Burnley something they've never had under Sean Dyche and he's not clearly unfamiliar with the physical style of play that's preferred at Turf Moor, either. Dyche would hate to lose McNeill -- just 20, he's already the team's leading creator -- but Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes are the team's two most important attacking pieces and Xhaka's presence would provide some new attacking patterns that the team doesn't currently have access to. For Leicester, McNeill gives the team some much-needed attacking depth, making them a little more robust against injury as they try to lock up a spot in the top four.

His age also fits within the larger profile of the rest of the team. As for Arsenal, they've lost most of their negotiating power re: the Xhaka situation, so they'll just be happy to move him on.

They'll also need to cover a significant portion of his contract even after they trade him because Burnley won't be able to afford Xhaka's full contract. Iheanacho put up world-class attacking numbers in limited minutes with Manchester City a few years ago, but it just hasn't happened for him at Leicester.

He's played just 92 Premier League minutes this year including one start , both of them in December, and with each passing week it looks more likely that his performance at City was a product of the system. However, he's still only 23, so Arsenal at least get a young lottery ticket in exchange for the former club captain. This includes details of salaries and bonuses, such as signing-on and loyalty bonuses.

Players also undergo medical examinations to check they are fit to play. If this reveals previously undetected injuries, it can affect the size of the transfer fee. Technically speaking, they paid the buyout clause in Neymar's old Barcelona contract, which was set at m euros. Image rights can be a big sticking point when negotiating contracts. Clubs generally demand the exclusive right to control how images of the player appear in advertising and publicity. But players are reluctant to give up lucrative opportunities to earn ad revenue.

With Neymar, it gets even more complex. Barcelona have said they intend to sue him for breach of contract, because he received money as part of a renewal bonus when he signed a new contract last year.

The Spanish club is demanding 8. There is serious cash in football. The 20 richest clubs globally — all European — earned 7. The top earning club was Manchester United, clocking up m euros. So expect lots of PSG Neymar shirts.