As the curtain falls on summer transfer windows across Europe's major leagues, Scotland is marching to a different beat — with its own deadline landing on Thursday at 17:00 BST, a full two days after England's top flight closes for business.

Why does Scotland's window close later?

The Scottish FA sets the transfer deadline, but it does so after taking direct feedback from clubs, with plenty of notice given. An SPFL working group gathers input from across Scottish football, and this year clubs made clear they wanted extra time beyond the point when the major leagues shut.

The reason is straightforward: much of Scotland's transfer activity happens late in the window. Given the budgets involved, deals typically depend on movement further up the football chain — a player being released or offloaded at a bigger club before a Scottish side can complete their signing.

Crucially, clubs in Scotland can still receive players even after their own window closes, as long as the selling club's window remains open. This allows Scottish sides to benefit from swollen squads at larger clubs looking to reduce their numbers in the final hours of their own deadline.

The decision on this year's closing date was made well before the summer's World Cup, giving clubs sufficient time to plan.

The Edinburgh derby complication

Thursday's deadline coincides with another significant event: an Edinburgh derby. Hibernian host Hearts at Easter Road at 19:45, raising the possibility that last-minute transfers could affect squad availability for both sides.

It is not without precedent. In January 2001, a deadline-day derby between Ross County and Hibernian ended 1-1 — though that has been the only such occasion in the past five years.

When do other windows close?

The transfer deadlines for Europe's top competitions are as follows (all times BST):

Premier League and EFL: Tuesday, 1 September — 23:00

Ligue 1: Tuesday, 1 September — 18:59

Serie A: Tuesday, 1 September — 19:00

Bundesliga: Tuesday, 1 August — 19:00

La Liga: Tuesday, 1 September — 22:59

Women's Super League: Thursday, 3 September — 23:00

Saudi Pro League: Sunday, 6 September — time to be confirmed

FIFA rules stipulate that a transfer window cannot exceed 16 weeks within a single calendar year.