Monday 1 February 2016 08:05, UK
As the January transfer window creaks shut, we look at the closing times across the continent - and why some deals can be rubber-stamped after the deadline...
When does the transfer window close?
Not all transfer window shutting times are aligned across Europe, but the Spanish FA announced earlier this week they would delay their window by 24 hours, meaning a new time of 11pm on Monday, February 1. Germany's window will be open for a further 18 hours after England, Spain, and France, while Italy shuts an hour earlier...
Why are some deals announced after the deadline?
A transfer must be logged into FIFA's Transfer Matching System (TMS) for it to be ratified before the relevant association's deadline. For English clubs, this is 11pm.
But if two clubs are running slightly late as the deadline approaches, from 9pm they may fill out what is known as a 'deal sheet', which will include all the key information confirming that a certain agreement is in place and a deal has been reached.
Then, they have until 1am to complete the deal and get the full details to the Premier League. Hence, that 11pm deadline isn't necessarily the end of all dealings...
Will transfer records be broken in 2016?
January 2015 saw Premier League clubs splash £130m on new players. They then followed that up with a bumper summer spending spree topping £870m. A total of £1bn in 12 months!
A repeat of last January's transfers would see 2015/16 become the first season in which clubs have spent £1bn on new players.
Follow it all with Sky Sports...
Sky Sports News HQ
In true Deadline Day style, Sky Sports News HQ have reporters scattered across the country to bring you exclusive updates on all the big breaking transfer stories on Monday, February 1.
Kaveh Solhekol, Dharmesh Sheth and Aidan Magee will be at the investigating desk to bring you details of all the moves as they happen, while we'll have presenters posting bulletins from the Transfer Zone and the dedicated Football League news desk.
SkySports.com & mobile
Situated at the heart of the Sky Sports News HQ newsroom, our Online Transfer Centre is the best place to follow the breaking news throughout the day. Our live blog will deliver news first and fast - plus we'll bring you the latest reports, pictures, video bulletins, analysis, breaking stories and done deals from our team of correspondents across England and Europe.
SkySports.com will also once again be streaming an hour of Sky Sports News HQ's Deadline Day coverage for FREE between 5pm and 6pm so you can catch-up with all the latest going's on live from the newsroom without subscription.
Sky Sports for iPad
Sky Sports subscribers can download our iPad app for enhanced content and special features in our companion area. Not only can you watch Sky Sports News HQ through the app, but you can follow the live blog, watch our Transfer Centre bulletins and get easy access to the biggest stories and done deals on the news wire.
Social media plays a huge part in the Deadline Day drama and you can get involved on Twitter by following @SkySportsNewsHQ and @SkyFootball, where you will find a wealth of information at your fingertips, including Twitter Q&A's with some of the show's guests.
The hashtag to use is #DeadlineDay and our social media team in the newsroom will be bringing you all noteworthy social media content and polls from our designated social media desk.
