Premier League stars including Willian, Giroud and Vertonghen could walk away from clubs says sports lawyer

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Players like Willian and Olivier Giroud of Chelsea and Jan Vertonghen of Spurs could be free to walk away from their clubs after their contracts expire on 30th June, according to a report in the Daily Mail.

The Chelsea and Spurs stars would legally be able to walk away from their clubs on a free transfer despite FIFA’s plans of extending deals and pushing back the coming summer transfer window due to the disruption caused by the coronavirus.

The report states that clubs will not be able to force their players to stay after their contracts expire on 30th June, despite the proposed extension of contracts and the postponed transfer window which is to be held in a different time frame only after the Premier League season finishes.

While speaking about the issue, top sports lawyer Nick De Marco, in conversation with Sky Sports as quoted in the Daily Mail said: “Legally, they cannot be forced to continue to play for the club,”

“Nobody can force them to do so; FIFA, the FA, the club or anybody else. If they want to walk away, that’s a matter for them but it will really be a matter of whether, financially, that makes sense for them.”

“If the players are out of contract then, so far as the law is concerned, they’re no longer employees and they’re free to walk away.'”

At the moment, the players on the last few months of their contracts remain tied to their clubs, but that could all change come June 30th.

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