Transfer window summer 2018: when is the deadline for Premier League deals?

There will be two deadline days this summer - one in England and one international

Alisson Becker Liverpool transfer news
Liverpool signed Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker from Roma this summer
(Image credit: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images )

Premier League transfer window summer 2018

When does the transfer window close?

It closes at 5pm on Thursday 9 August, a day before the new Premier League season starts. In previous years, the transfer deadline was 31 August. But Premier League teams can still sell players to international clubs after 9 August.

Why have the dates changed?

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Sky Sports says that the clubs agreed on the new dates so incoming transfers were confirmed before the start of the 2018-2019 Premier League season.

“Bringing the deadline forward will eradicate panic buys after two or three games of the season, but it will also give Premier League clubs significantly less time to complete their business,” Sky reports.

A Premier League statement said: “This new agreement applies only to the acquisition of players. Clubs will still have the ability to sell or loan players to other leagues whose transfer windows are open, as they can now to leagues that have different transfer window dates.”

EFL summer transfer window

When does it close?

The EFL transfer window opened on Monday 7 May and will close at 5pm on 9 August – the same day as the Premier League. This is five days after the start of the EFL season. EFL chief executive Shaun Harvey said: “This new approach will give clubs and managers the stability they crave earlier in the season whilst also providing the flexibility to add to their squads after the traditional deadline until the end of the month if required.”

Loan deals and free agents

EFL clubs will still be able to sign free agents and loan players until 31 August.

EFL window key dates

EFL clubs will still be able to:

  • sign players on standard loan up to 31 August 2018
  • sign players on standard loan up to 31 August with an option to agree a permanent transfer when the next window opens
  • register players who ceased to be registered with a club during the period up until 31 August
  • transfer players out to a club in any league whose window is still open

International transfer deadline

The Premier League and EFL now have different transfer windows to their European counterparts, meaning there will be two deadline days this summer. Here are the window opening and closing dates for France, Italy, Germany and Spain:

  • Sweden: 11 August
  • Italy: 18 August
  • France: 31 August
  • Germany: 31 August
  • Spain: 31 August
  • Scotland: 31 August
  • Russia: 31 August
  • Belgium: 31 August
  • Turkey: 31 August
  • Holland: 3 September

Continue reading for free

We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.

Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.