Transfer requests: How do they work in football?

A transfer request is a way for a footballer to inform their club they wish to be sold to another team.

Transfer requests are most commonly submitted by players during the two periods of the year clubs are allowed to negotiate deals with one another – the summer and winter transfer windows.

If a player decides they want to move, they may use a transfer request to make their intention clear to their club.

There is no standardised, formal way in which players are obliged to submit transfer requests.

The most common method is for a player’s agency to draft a legal document and send it to the sporting director, chairman or CEO of a club in order to inform them of the player’s desire to move. Such a document usually includes confirmation a player wishes to breach the terms of their employment, the reasons behind the request, and the player’s signature.

But transfer requests can also take other forms. For example, a player or somebody acting on their behalf may inform a manager at a training ground, could give an interview to the press in which they make their desire to move clear, or might post on social media to make sure the wider football community is fully aware of what they want.

A club is under no obligation to accept any transfer request.