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The clock is ticking, but how can Man City and Man United bend the rules and buy more time?
Transfer deadline day is never quite the same in the winter as it is in the summer with clubs scrambling to cover injuries and refusing to blink first.
Nobody wants to lose their best players halfway through the season whilst, in the case of short-term cover, nobody wants to make a big financial commitment if their own player will return in a few weeks or months. Man City and Man United are expected to be working up until the final minutes of the window, but just how much time exactly do they have?
When does the transfer window shut for Man City and Man United?
The transfer window closes for winter 2026, which began on 1 January, officially at 19:00 GMT on Monday, 2 February. In order to achieve European alignment, too stay in sync with the Premier League, the EFL, Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga, and Ligue 1 will all close their windows on the same day.
However, there can still be late outgoings. Premier League players can still be sold or loaned to leagues with later deadlines even after the English window shuts.
The 19:00 GMT deadline can be bent slightly though and post-deadline announcements are possible. Although the 19:00 GMT cut-off is strict, deals can be confirmed later if clubs submit a "deal sheet" before the deadline, granting them a two-hour extension to finalise paperwork.
What is a transfer deal sheet?
Premier League clubs must complete a 'deal sheet' so that they can process a transfer in the last two hours of the window being open. Not every detail can be completed this close to the clock ticking down, so it buys them a bit of time.
Last minute deals aren’t uncommon due to medicals, European travel and last-minute hitches, so it gives Premier League clubs a bit of a safety net when they are scrambling around to get deals done.
Primarily, the deal sheet confirms to the league that an agreement has been reached between two clubs and the player before the final documentation is prepared and paperwork completed to authorise registration.
The deal sheet cannot be used before 17:00 GMT and it also must be completed before the 19:00 GMT transfer deadline.
The deal sheet doesn’t give clubs an infinite amount of time or extension to sort out the small print though, all it does is give them a two-hour extension until 21:00 GMT. If, come 21:00 GMT, the paperwork doesn’t have all the i's dotted and the t’s crossed, then the transfer collapses. Which begs the question, why leave it until the last minute?!
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