History looks like it will be made as Hashtag United look likely to be the first-ever recipient of a transfer fee for an esports FIFA player.
Transfer fees have been seen in other esports, but this would be the first of its kind in professional FIFA circles.
Six-figure fee
Hashtag United, who play their football in the Isthmian League North, is said to have received an offer between £50,000-£100,000 according to reports from Sky Sports.
However, there is more to the transfer fee than meets the eye as this could become the first transfer fee received for a professional esports FIFA player.
Fees like this have been seen in other games, but this could pave the way for more deals in the competitive FIFA world.
With competitions becoming more lucrative and attracting larger audiences, don't expect this to be a one-off transfer!
Trailblazer
Tom Leese is the player in question, and the 22-year-old is regarded as one of the best FIFA players in the world.
Leese is a former ePremier League champion and also represents England as an eLion.
The current Hashtag United player has a social media following that tallies over 25,000 on Instagram and will help any club he signs for attract sponsorship deals.
"Organisations sign a player like this to grow their brand and attract sponsors. If they get the best player they'd gain access to significantly better sponsorship opportunities," one source told Sky Sports News.
FIFA 22
After months of speculation, EA has officially announced that FIFA 22 will be released on Friday, 1 October 2021.
Early Access will be available from Tuesday, 28 September - with the EA Play Trial going live 10 days before release.
The reveal trailer got fans hyped for the upcoming release, featuring cover star Kylian Mbappe, along with top talents Trent Alexander-Arnold and Christian Pulisic.
The trailer gives us an idea of how EA will Hypermotion Technology to implement real-life player movements into FIFA 22 gameplay.