Yes it is harder, making it a bit more realistic. Last year, getting Neymar was pretty easy, since it was so easy to unsettle him. This year, it's slightly tougher.
Usually, contract rebels are easier to unsettle. If a player turns down a contract from a club at any time, for any reason, you can begin your process (Declare interest, rejected bids) etc, it'll have more chances of success. For a player, who has a favored club as his present club or favored personnel as his Head Coach, it is rather tougher to unsettle, and is usually a long term project..