The still unknown parent tetrathiafulvalene–terpyridine- ligand 5 (namely TTF–terpy), was synthesized through a straightforward strategy. The dyad exhibits an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) which was evidenced by UV–vis electronic absorption. Complexation of various transition metal cations by this redox-active ligand was studied by UV–vis absorption spectroscopy as well as by cyclic voltammetry titration studies, supporting the dual functional character of this system. In addition, these results demonstrate that ligand 5 is a suitable building block for the preparation of electroactive neutral as well as charged metal complexes.