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Paying a transfer fee in chunks over time rather than all at once. Most big transfers are structured this way - £100m might be £25m a year for four years. It helps the buying club's cash flow and often makes the difference between a deal happening or not. The selling club prefers upfront payment but usually has to compromise.
Chelsea's summer 2022 spending spree relied heavily on installments - while the total fees were enormous, structuring payments over 5+ years meant the immediate cash outflow was manageable.
Robbie
Jan 28, 2026
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