Free transfer (football)

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In football (soccer), a free transfer involves a team releasing a player once their contract has expired or made available just before the end of the contract. The team does not have to pay any compensation for their release due to having nothing left to pay on their contract, hence the term free transfer. Some individual leagues have restrictions to protect academies, for example in the UK players under 23 who are out of contract are only available on a free transfer if released by the club holding the players' licence.

Another type of free transfer is when a player is transferred from one club to another for no price, sometimes a transfer for a nominal fee is credited as a free transfer.

With six months or less remaining on an existing contract for players aged 23 or older, they are free to negotiate with other clubs and signa pre-contract, indicating their ability to move to their intented club on a Bosman transfer, once the next transfer window opens.