A minimum fee release clause is a clause in a player's contract which sets a minimum fee that a club must bid in order to be able to buy that player. If a club bid's the minimum fee set in a player's contract in an initial payment, the player's club cannot block the bid and must allow the bidder to talk to the player. Players with a minimum fee release clause can still be sold for less that the set fee, at the club's discretion. This option has been a feature of FM since Football Manager 2005 and was a feature of the later Championship Manager games, from Championship Manager 3 onwards.