Deadline day: Why is Scotland's window shutting on Thursday?

Across Europe, a buzz of excitement and anticipation is spreading as the summer transfer windows of the big leagues come to a conclusion.

Up and down England on Tuesday, there will be men in yellow ties outside training grounds with camera crews waiting for a luxury SUV to speed by them carrying the latest Premier League last-ditch signing.

Not in Scotland. Here, the transfer deadline this window is Thursday at 17:00 BST.

Scotland generally likes to be different.

It is not unusual on transfer deadline day for the window to close an hour after their southern counterparts.

This is normally when fax machines get dusted down and cranked up while paperwork is frantically hurried to the registration department at Hampden.

But this time around there's a full two days of a gap.

The decision of when the window shuts is ultimately down to the Scottish FA, but it is chosen with feedback directly from clubs and with plenty of notice.

There's an working group through the SPFL which collates input from clubs, and this year the feeling was they wanted extra time after the main leagues closed.

Why? As mentioned before, so much of Scotland's transfer business is done later in the window.

Given the budgets involved, quite often things need to move further up the chain before deals fall into place allowing a player to be freed up.

Remember, clubs are still allowed to sell and release players when their window is shut, meaning Scottish sides could take advantage of swollen squads looking to offload.

The call on when the deadline was going to be was made well before this summer's World Cup.

Deadline day is not the only thing happening on Thursday. You also have the small matter of an Edinburgh derby.

Hibernian host Hearts at Easter Road at 19:45, meaning there could be some last-minute squad dropouts if a player is lured away by a fellow Scottish club or another league where the window is still open.

It has happened before. In January 2001, Ross County and Hibernian shared a 1-1 draw on the night the window closed, albeit that's been the only occasion in the last five years it has happened.

When is the Premier League deadline? And when are the deadlines for other leagues?

Premier League and EFL clubs have until 23:00 on Tuesday, 1 September to complete their transfers.

The deadlines for other leagues around the world are:

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

Saudi Pro League: Sunday, 6 September - TBC

Fifa rules state a transfer window cannot last more than 16 weeks in a calendar year.

How can I follow Scottish transfer deadline day on the BBC?

You can keep tabs on all the action across the BBC as the deadline approaches.

The BBC Sport website and app will have a dedicated live page covering up-to-the-minute moves involving Scottish clubs.

And all the moves will be captured on the individual Premiership club habit pages.