Yes, once I wanted to get a player my wife was selling so I asked admin directly and got their answer.
Personally, I think such transfers should be allowable as long as the number of bids is relatively high (10-12+)...If you can guarantee your bid is competitive, then why not? This is an unfair disadvantage imho.
In the real world, there are managers who are quite close and who share information to some extent...and familial relations often underlie these connections...just look into the
Charlton football dyansty