When does the 2020 summer transfer window open for major Euro leagues?
As the disrupted 2019/20 season draws to a close across Europe, here are the dates for Europe’s top clubs to make new signings.
Premier League
The Premier League summer transfer window officially opens today after the 2019/20 league campaign was wrapped up on Sunday (26/07). The 27 July start date is much later than usual but reflects the three-month delay due to the coronavirus pandemic. Premier League clubs will now be able to sign players until 5 October, the day before UEFA’s deadline for Champions League and Europa League squad registration.
Last year Premier League clubs voted to close the summer transfer window the day before the season started to limit uncertainty for clubs trying to build a team. However due to the elongated 2019/20 season there will now be an overlap of over three weeks where clubs will be playing league games and still able to make transfers.
Despite the delayed opening of the transfer window some Premier League clubs began early with Chelsea signing Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner. Both have already taken part in training sessions at the club’s Cobham training ground but cannot be registered to play until next season so will be unavailable for Chelsea’s remaining FA Cup and Champions League fixtures.
La Liga
The Spanish top flight season finished a week earlier than England’s but Spanish clubs will not be able to make any signings until 4 August, a month later than originally planned. They too will need to have any business done by 5 October.
This will be of interest to Arsenal fans who have been linked to a number of potential transfers involving Barcelona. The Gunners are believed to be considering a deal for former Liverpool midfielder Phlippe Coutinho who spent the last year on loan at Bayern Munich. Reports from France suggest that out of favour Arsenal midfielder Mateo Guendouzi could be offered in a player-plus-cash deal.
Serie A
The 2019/20 league season in Italy does not finish until 2 August so Serie A clubs will have less time to complete their transfer business than their European rivals. The Serie A transfer window does not officially open until 1 September, giving sides just five weeks to confirm any signings before the window ends on 5 October.
Clubs may still agree deals in anticipation of the window opening in September but they will also have to contend with an international break from 5 September. During that time players will be away from their clubs making it harder to schedule medicals and complete transfers.
Bundesliga
German football was the first of the major European leagues to return to action after the suspension so they were the first to finish their 2019/20 campaigns. Bundesliga officials allowed clubs to register any agreed transfers on the 1 July as usual, but then shut the window the day after because FIFA rules do not allow transfer windows to last longer than 12 weeks.
The Bundesliga transfer window then reopened on the 15 July and will remain open until 5 October. Borussia Dortmund took advantage of the earlier start by announcing the signing of Birmingham City’s 17-year-old midfielder Jude Bellingham last Monday.
Ligue 1
The French league took the decision to end the season at the end of April after the government imposed a ban on all sporting events, so the transfer window for Ligue 1 opened on 8 June. However because of FIFA’s 12-week rule it was then closed again on 9 July and no date has yet been confirmed for a reopening.