Premier League clubs’ plans for a summer clear-out to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations could be thrown into disarray by international managers blocking player access during the European Championship, per the Daily Mail.
Chelsea, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, and Leicester City face a tight deadline to offload players before June 30 to avoid Profit and Sustainability Rule (PSR) breaches, which could lead to docked points next season.
Conor Gallagher is a prime example. The England midfielder enters the final year of his contract this summer, making him a potential sale to free up funds for Chelsea.
Chelsea want to sell the 24-year-old because he is an academy product and represents the pure profit needed to balance the books.
However, Gallagher’s participation at Euro 2024 throws a wrench into those plans.
According to FA sources, player agents are unlikely to be granted access to discuss transfers during the tournament.
This is particularly concerning for Chelsea, as England’s last 16 match (if they make it out of the group stage) falls on June 29 or 30, creating a second transfer deadline for clubs grappling with PSR problems.
With Gallagher’s future and potentially other crucial transfers on hold, Chelsea’s summer business could be seriously derailed by international commitments.
This creates a difficult situation for Premier League clubs.
The top brass need to find a way to negotiate potential transfers while respecting the international competition and avoiding disruption to national teams’ focus.
Chelsea’s pre-season preparations could already be majorly disrupted by the Olympic games later this year. The Olympic games are an under-23 tournament, and many players from Chelsea’s very young squad could be called upon to represent their nation.
Malo Gusto, Benoit Badiashile, Lesley Ugochukwu, and Wesley Fofana can be called up by France. Also, Mykhailo Mudryk and Enzo Fernandez could join Ukraine and Argentina in their quest for gold.