Football remains on pause due to COVID-19 and with the likelihood that domestic leagues could stretch into the summer months, there’s an elephant in the room regarding players with a contract that expires on June 30.
According to Reuters (via Culture PSG), FIFA is leaning towards having those contracts extended until the end of the resumed season, whenever that might be. With all international competitions postponed until 2021, Ligue 1, for example, has targeted June 30 as a conclusion date and July 15 as a backup.
As a result, clubs don’t want to lose key players that could contribute as they look to close out the 2019-20 campaign. For example, Paris Saint-Germain needs as many players in their squad as possible since they’re still competing in four competitions (Ligue 1, Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue, and UEFA Champions League).
If nothing is changed, PSG could lose Thiago Silva, Edinson Cavani, Layvin Kurzawa, Thomas Meunier, and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting as all have expiring contracts. Without a ruling from FIFA, the Ligue 1 leaders would be extremely shorthanded and lacking quality. PSG are far from the only ones with this dilemma, which is why FIFA must extend player contracts to match the end of the season.
Expiring contracts won’t be the only thing that is facing delay; it seems as though the summer transfer window will start later. Clubs will have to wait until a player’s season concludes before looking to purchase them, allowing for other clubs to finish with their original squads.
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