Five players who could have release clauses triggered in the January transfer window

Serhou Guirassy of Borussia Dortmund celebrates his team's first goal during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and Holstein Kiel at Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund, Germany, on May 17, 2025.

The transfer release clause is a multi-purpose contract inclusion that could be set to be the catalyst for the upcoming January transfer window.

Release clauses, ubiquitous in the transfer markets of some major leagues around the world and increasingly common in others, can be used to protect a player's value or indeed to persuade them to sign the deal in the first place.