Expanded wage cap could halt transfers for six Serie A clubs | OneFootball

The upcoming January transfer market could prove particularly complicated for Atalanta, Fiorentina, Genoa, Lazio, Napoli, and Torino.

Expanded Labor Cost: the new parameter that could block the market for six Serie A clubs

As mentioned yesterday, there are six clubs at risk of being restricted due to the expanded labor cost indicator (CLA), the new parameter introduced by the FIGC to measure the economic sustainability of football clubs.

Serie A, January market at risk for six clubs: crackdown on expanded labor cost

What is the Expanded Labor Cost

The CLA is an index that relates two fundamental elements:

Expanded labor cost (CLA): includes the costs of sports personnel, amortizations and devaluations of player contracts, as well as agent commissions not included in the contract cost.

Revenues (R): include commercial revenues, sponsorships, audiovisual rights, income from player loans net of costs, and capital gains or proceeds from sales.

The indicator is therefore obtained from the ratio CLA / R. If this ratio exceeds the threshold set by the Federal Council on the recommendation of Covisoc, the club is considered unsustainable and risks significant market restrictions.

A federal official, commenting on the new parameter, summarizes the logic behind the change: “It is a way to align with international standards and prevent clubs from spending more than they can afford.”

The new regulatory framework: farewell to the liquidity index

The winter session of 2025 marks the farewell to the liquidity index as the main criterion for the market, replaced by the CLA. This is a change desired by FIGC President Gabriele Gravina, to introduce a tool more in line with European cost control rules.

The maximum value of the indicator is currently set at 0.8, but by next summer it will drop to 0.6, making the system even more stringent.

As a Calcio e Finanza analyst recalls: “The January market will be the first real test. From here on, those who do not have their accounts in order risk only being able to make outgoing moves.”

What happens if the threshold is exceeded

In case of exceeding the limit, the FIGC can impose:

total or partial market block,

the necessity of sales to return to parameters,

registration bans or restrictions on the number of new entries.

The real risk for the six involved teams is having to forgo new acquisitions or being forced to make operations that reduce the overall costs of sports personnel.

Why six clubs are at risk

In recent financial statements, Atalanta, Fiorentina, Genoa, Lazio, Napoli, and Torino have recorded a ratio between CLA and revenues too close to – or beyond – the allowed limit. Contributing factors are:

an increase in squad and staff costs,

significant amortizations due to player contracts purchased in recent years,

revenues not sufficiently high to support such expenses.

A sports law expert explains: “The CLA rewards those with solid revenues and calibrated costs. It penalizes those who have invested heavily without proportionally increasing income.”

A real threat to the January market

The new rule is designed to promote sustainability, transparency, and more responsible economic management. But in the short term, it risks becoming a concrete threat for clubs aiming to strengthen their squads in January.

If the situation is not rebalanced in upcoming financial statements, the only way to avoid sanctions will be to act on outgoing transfers or reduce the wage bill. For many clubs, the winter market of 2025-2026 could turn more into an exercise in containment than an opportunity for growth.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.