Premier League and EFL clubs have until 23:00 BST on Tuesday, 1 September to complete their transfers. The real squeeze comes in the final two hours, because a deal sheet must be completed by Premier League clubs in that window, with 21:00 BST the earliest it can be submitted.
Deadline-day paperwork
BBC Sport's deadline-day guide is blunt about the timing. The move cannot go through without the paperwork in by 23:00, and that leaves clubs trying to close deals while final details are still being sorted.
The Premier League also keeps the squad rules tight. Clubs can register no more than 25 senior players, and no more than 17 of those can be non-homegrown talent. Late arrivals often mean someone else has to move out, or a squad list has to be adjusted.
Free agents are the exception. Players who are without a club after the deadline can still be signed at any point, which is why the window does not close every route into the market.
Late names still in play
BBC's live list of names shows how active the market remains on the final day. Jack Grealish looks set to return to Everton on loan, while Iliman Ndiaye is heading in the opposite direction for £65m.
There are still other big names being discussed, too, with Enzo Fernández, Lamine Camara, Julian Alvarez and Cody Gakpo all part of the wider deadline-day conversation. The point is not that every link will turn into a deal. It is that the last hours of the window tend to move fast, and the paperwork rules decide which ones survive the clock.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
