Kvaratskhelia to Tetê: At least 93 first division players use special transfer window

Future of Neres & Co. open  

FIFA’s special transfer that was opened after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for foreign players playing in Russia and Ukraine is now closed. Players under contract in the Russian Premier Liga and Ukrainian Premier Liga were allowed to suspend their contracts until June 30 or to permanently be transferred to a league where the transfer window is still open—Brazil and Major League Soccer, for example. Officially—at least by the date of the deadline—93 first division players, 28 from Russia and 65 from Ukraine, made use of the special window. 

The most valuable player to move were the Brazilian Tetê and the Georgian Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The Brazilian was loaned from Shakhtar Donetsk to Olympique Lyon, and the 22-year-old scored in his Ligue 1 debut against Angers (3-2). Kvaratskhelia moved from Russian first division side Rubin Kazan to Georgian club Dinamo Batumi until the end o the season. But the 21-year-old winger will soon move and, according to various media reports, will join Napoli next summer, where he will sign a contract until 2027 and cost around €10 million. With Russia excluded from the SWIFT system, there remains a big question mark on how Rubin will receive the fee, and the transfer is not confirmed. 

Poland (13 loanees) and Brazil (11) were the two countries that took on the most players, primarily because both nations had many players in Russia and Ukraine—the latest transfer was center-back Vitão, who moved from Shakhtar to Internacional. On Friday, Swiss club FC Zürich confirmed that they had loaned Ukrainian forward Bogdan Vyunnyk. 

Overview: Players who left Russia’s Premier Liga / Players who left Ukraine’s Premier Liga

Other players have not used the transfer window or have not been announced by their new clubs. In Russia, Malcom and Claudinho still remain with Zenit. In Ukraine—where football is impossible at the moment—the future of David Neres, Dodô, Manor Salomon remains open. One possibility is Brazil, where the window remains open until April 12. The Brazilian Série A kicks off this weekend. Another option is Major League Soccer where the window remains open until May 4. 

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