Who is considered a third party in player transfers?

In the context of player transfers, a third party refers to an individual or organization that is not one of the two primary parties involved in the transfer, which are the player and the clubs (the releasing club and the engaging club). A team-mate of the player is considered a third party because they are neither directly transferring nor actively involved in the negotiations of the player’s transfer. Instead, they are simply a fellow player who may be affected by the transfer in some way but does not hold a role in the transaction itself.

The other options involve parties that are directly linked to either the player or the clubs involved in the transfer. The player being transferred is, of course, the individual whose movement is being negotiated. The agent of the releasing club and the agent of the engaging club represent those specific clubs in the transaction, thus their involvement is direct rather than that of a third party.