The transfer market is under existential threat from a European Court ruling which could see massive fees for players become a thing of the past.
Last October the European Court ruled that Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow had illegally kept former Arsenal and Chelsea star Lassana Diara at the side against his will. And although it has taken for the implications of that judgement to trickle down, some believe that it could be the start of a US0style, free agency for players.
And, in future, those who wanted to leave a club could do so by just buying out the rest of their contracts rather than letting them run down.
The top clubs and FIFA are trying to block such a move, but the players’ union, FifPro supports it, and they are now encouraging its members to test the extent to which the law applies in their territory, arguing every worker is entitled to freedom of movement.
