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An agreement to sign for a new club that can be made when a player has six months or less on their current contract. The player sees out their deal, then joins the new club on a free. Big clubs hate it because they lose valuable players for nothing. Players and agents love it because all the money that would've gone to the selling club can go into wages and signing bonuses instead.
Kylian Mbappé's pre-contract saga with Real Madrid dragged on for years - every January, Madrid could legally negotiate a free transfer, creating pressure on PSG to either sell or lose him for nothing.
Robbie
Feb 1, 2026
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