Given the lack of activity in the January transfer window, teams may look for bargains and cut-price deals to bolster their squads come the end of the season. We list some of the best players available on a free transfer this summer.
As the Premier League finally clamps down on teams operating on a knife-edge in terms of their profitability and sustainability guidelines, the winter window was strangely quiet.
Tighter restrictions across the continent have also been put in place amid UEFA’s gradual implementation of new financial rules. Cost controls including agent fees and transfers, to player and coach wages have been restricted to 90% of a club’s revenue in 2023/2024.
By the 2025/2026, this will be limited to 70%.
The free agent market will be an increasingly popular avenue for teams nearing the bounds of their means. With that in mind, we explore some of the players whose contracts run out at the end of the season.
5 of the Best Players Available on a Free Transfer This Summer
5. Koke (Atletico Madrid)
Mr. Atleti himself is yet to agree new terms with the club, for whom he has represented for the entirety of his career.
The Atletico Madrid captain said, “I hope to continue here, but that no longer depends on me.” It remains unclear as to whether the club will offer the 32-year-old a fresh contract, but recent reports suggest he would be forced to take a wage cut should he remain put.
With 70 caps for Spain, and a wealth of experience at club level, his qualities in the centre of midfield could be desirable for potential suitors, particularly on a free transfer and reduced wages on account of his age.
4. Anthony Martial (Manchester United)
Wait, Anthony Martial is still at United? He had us fooled.
A career in Manchester that promised so much and offered very little looks almost certain to end this summer, which also happens to be when his current contract runs out.
Particularly with the new hardline ownership – headed up by Sir Jim Ratcliffe – set to shake things up at end of the season, an underachieving and injury-prone Martial will be deemed surplus to requirements.
Saudi Pro League clubs showed interest in the Frenchman last summer, while the likes of Marseille and Fernabache were believed to have made approaches in January.
Since joining the Red Devils in 2015/16, Martial has missed 92 games through injury.
3. Piotr Zieliński (Napoli)
Piotr Zieliński is one of those players who, barring any major surprises, will stay loyal to the Serie A and see out most of his latter years in Italy.
The Poland international was the subject of strong interest from Saudi Arabia, but turned down their lucrative advances last summer. His contract in Naples runs out at the end of the season, and the Serie A champions are expected to allow him to seek a fresh challenge after eight years at the club.
An incredibly useful attacking midfielder with a varied skillset, the 29-year-old has of course been linked to champions-elect Inter Milan, who may look to add another ageing midfield bargain to their roster alongside Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Hakan Çalhanoğlu.
2. Adrien Rabiot (Juventus)
Just a few months remain before Adrien Rabiot is inevitably linked with a move to Manchester United.
Whether his mother/agent will finally sanction a move away from Juventus remains to be seen, but the fact remains that his contract in Turin comes to an end this summer.
Despite garnering his fair share of critics at former club PSG, the free transfer that saw him swap his homeland for Juventus in 2019 has proven hugely successful. Last season the 28-year-old chipped in with 11 goals and six assists as a genuine all-rounder in midfield, to which he has added a further seven goal contributions in 21 appearances so far this term.
Standing at six-foot-two, Rabiot is cut from the mould of players that scarcely exist in the modern game. Juventus’ inability to tie him down to a new contract has alerted a host of elite clubs, particularly in the Premier League, with Tottenham, Arsenal, and of course Manchester United all said to be interested parties.
1. Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Including Kylian Mbappe in this list is somewhat of a misnomer given – one, we know he is leaving, and two, we have a strong idea of where his next challenge lies.
Nevertheless, it feels strange how little fans and the media are focusing on the fact he is FREE. Arguably the most sought-after player in world football – a player with a market value of over €150 million – will command a transfer fee of zero.
Kylian Mbappé is now the Top Scorer of 2024 so far with 11 Goals.
He can’t stop scoring 😤 pic.twitter.com/zK36WOfYTI
— 𝐊𝐌𝐓. (@KM_Timeline) February 23, 2024
Mbappe has long held all the leverage in Paris when it comes to his inevitable exit. After threatening to leave for Real Madrid two years ago, the Parisian board panicked and offered him a lucrative £900,000-a-week contract, guaranteeing just one more year with an option for a further season.
He has since rejected that option, allowing him to leave for nothing. Of course, PSG are an ultra-rich powerhouse, but was another year of Mbappe worth it? The strategy appears floored given his value.
And so, the Frenchman eyes a new challenge, and everything points towards his childhood dream of emulating Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid – he is just 2/1 to lift his first Champions League with Los Blancos, if and when he arrives.
A scary prospect for the rest of Europe to say the least.
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