Arsenal transfer news: How Gunners could use obscure Fifa regulation to sign James Rodriguez for just £3m
Arsenal could potentially sign James Rodriguez from Bayern Munich until the end of the season for as little as £3m, thanks to a little-known Fifa regulation.
Although a player is only able to appear for two clubs in a single season, according to article 5.3 in Fifa’s Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, a squad member can still be registered by up to three clubs.
The Colombian midfielder joined the German champions from Real Madrid on a two-year loan move, so has only represented Bayern this season, and has since fallen out of favour under new manager Niko Kovac.
Unai Emery confirmed last week that Arsenal would not be able to make any permanent signings in the January transfer window, and are now pursuing established targets such as Barcelona’s Denis Suarez and Rodriguez on loan.
If Arsenal could cover the remaining £3m of Rodriguez’s £11.5m loan fee, it’s believed Bayern may consider letting the Gunners take up the last six months of the loan agreement.
Bayern’s sporting director, Hasan Salihamidzic, responded to potential interest in Rodriguez and told Bild: “We will look at the second half of the season and we will draw the right conclusions.”
Emery’s insistence on looking to already established players, rather that unearthing young stars like 19-year-old French midfielder Matteo Guendouzi, is also believed to be a key cause in the club’s backroom ruction, which may see Head of Recruitment Sven Mislintat leave the Gunners after just 15 months.
Wolves, who have been chasing Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham, may also be able to take advantage of the Fifa regulation as although the striker, who is currently on loan at Aston Villa, would be registered at three clubs in a single season, he has not appeared for the Blues this term.
Fifa article 5.3 states:
“Players may be registered with a maximum of three clubs during one season. During this period, the player is only eligible to play official matches for two clubs.
“As an exception to this rule, a player moving between two clubs belonging to associations with overlapping seasons (i.e. start of the season in summer/autumn as opposed to winter/spring) may be eligible to play in official matches for a third club during the relevant season, provided he has fully complied with his contractual obligations towards his previous clubs. Equally, the provisions relating to the registration periods (article 6) as well as to the minimum length of a contract (article 18 paragraph 2) must be respected.”
