Editor's note: With the 2025 summer transfer window in full swing and just under a month to go before it closes, we have republished this piece from 2023 explaining the nuances of soccer contracts. After all, every major deal these days comes with "add-ons" and other sweeteners: consider this a handy guide to that language. We've also added some new examples of transfer market trends that have emerged since originally published.

Elite-level footballers are some of the highest-paid workers on the planet, which means their contracts are likely to be long, confusing and full of legal speak that might be difficult to understand for the general public. So here's a guide to how they are put together.

Tor-Kristian Karlsen, a Norwegian football scout, formerly the chief executive and sporting di

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