The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has implemented a new regulation setting a maximum of six national loan transfers in and six out for each club. This measure, now in effect, aims to regulate the loan market and affects all professional contract players, from the first team to youth categories.
This regulation follows the philosophy of FIFA, which previously set limits on international operations. The objective is to prevent certain clubs from massively accumulating talent or creating dependency relationships between entities, thereby promoting competitive balance.
The rule includes an exception for training clubs: players under 21 years old who are considered academy players, having spent at least three seasons in the club's youth categories between the ages of 15 and 21, will not count towards this limit. This safeguard aims to protect the progression of young talents.
UD Almería, which has frequently used loans as part of its sporting planning, is currently well within these new limits. As of today, they only have one player on loan domestically. However, the club will need to adapt its future strategies to this more restricted scenario.
