More realistic transfer system

[david_kax]

Currently in FM making a transfer is reduced to an optional previous meeting with the agent without content, negotiating with the club without having any agreement with the agent and a single meeting with the agent. In short, transfers of world stars are closed in a day or two, which makes the transfer market unattractive, unrealistic and too simple. In addition, there is also no option to try to convince a player from another club not to renew... When it is increasingly common for big clubs to tempt agents with future contract offers in exchange for a player not renewing to try to sign him in the last year of contract or free. FM does not reflect the current trend that more and more and better players refuse to renew their contract in order to be able to leave in the last year of their contract or for free, especially when they are in teams that are not top, or they have been in a big club for several years but want to look for others challenges (Alaba, Eric García, Pogba, Rudiger, Mbappé, Dybala, Dembelé, Kessie...)

For all these reasons, I believe that the process to sign players in FM, as it happens in reality, should be the following:

1- Negotiations with the player's agent. You should be able to have several meetings with the agent with more variables than salary... Sports project, commissions, objectives, delay the renewal with his current club, agree with the agent to inform you of any renewal offer and negotiate with him so that he waits for you and does not renew... In short, that the signings of the best players can be worked on with the agents for months, through meetings, pre-agreements, offers, counter-offers, agreements not to renew, agents transferring the interest or offers of other teams for their player... A dynamic and realistic system.

2- Close an agreement with the agent with the basic conditions of the contract. At this time, the agent will have reached an agreement for the player to sign for our team, rejecting other possible offers or interest from other clubs.

3- Then, we will make an offer or asking for a price from the club.

4- In the event that our offer was rejected by the club or they refuse to negotiate, we should be able to go back to the agent and agree on a transfer strategy: Have the agent meet with the club and pressure them to negotiate or lower the price, that the player asks to leave the club, that the player publicly asks to be transferred, that the player does not attend training, that the player pressures his club saying not to renew his contract and go for free... Obviously the agent and the player must be more or less willing to go far in these pressure measures depending on their more or less strong interest in signing for our club and that the agreement that you have reached with the agent is more or less solid... valuing both the content of the agreement and how much or little we have worked in the previous months to sign him.

5- After these pressure measures, that the club can change its position or not. If he does not change it, we can give up the singing or talk to the agent to try the player not to renew and agree with him a future transfer when he has one year left on his contract or free (although then other clubs may appear again and make the agent ask us for more money or commissions to maintain the agreement). 
If the club gives in to the pressure and agrees to negotiate or lowers the price, we will negotiate the transfer with the club.

6- Accepted the offer by the club, close with the agent the last secondary details of the contract.

I think that this system would make the transfer market much more realistic and it would also make it more entertaining and dynamic for managers because you could work on your transfer goals and increase their interest in signing for your club months or years in advance, in addition to have the possibility of proposing and negotiating dynamic transfer strategies with agents based on the player's interest in signing for your club and the position of the selling team.

[Zachary Whyte]

Thanks for the input. We appreciate your detailed feedback and as this is something we are aware of, our team have it internally logged, and it will be considered. It may yet be rejected or end up in a future iteration of FM.