The free transfer has begun its head-turning rebrand. Often seen as merely the journeyman's tool or a fading star's last shot at relevance with a lesser team, it has emerged anew, as a way for players and agents to recoup bargaining power and control the narrative of their careers. More recently, it has shown itself as another reminder of a perilous financial divide in pandemic-era soccer.
With Thursday's signing of Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos on a two-year deal following the expiration of his contract in the Spanish capital, Paris Saint-Germain has made clear what's already been quite evident: This is the era of the super-rich.