UEFA have introduced a new “anti-Chelsea” transfer rule following the signings of Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk.
The Blues splashed out huge money to land a host of talents last season.
But as well as spending £600million in transfer fees, the Stamford Bridge side tied their new players down to mammoth long contracts.
Some of those were up to six, seven or even eight-and-a-half years.
It was done to spread the costs of deals – such as the British-record £106million for Fernandez – over a longer period and therefore get around Uefa’s Financial Fair Play regulations.
As a result, Chelsea’s transfer “spend” for the 2022-23 campaign was just £98m.
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However, Euro bosses are closing that loophole with their new rule.
Uefa’s executive committee have ruled that all transfer deals, starting this summer, must be calculated over a maximum of five years, irrespective of the contract length.
Uefa said the limitation would “ensure equal treatment of all clubs”.
It does not ban longer-term deals from being signed and the rules will NOT be introduced retrospectively.
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The new legislation will take effect from July 1 – when the international transfer market opens.
Wesley Fofana and David Datro Fofana are tied down at Stamford Bridge until 2029.
Benoit Badiashile and Noni Madueke’s contracts run until 2030.
But it is Mudryk and Fernandez who will not become free agents until a staggering 2031.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
