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The Bosman list has some big names on it this summer. Here are the best players whose contracts are set to expire and are available for free at the end of the season.
As the 2022/23 season draws to a close, the summer transfer window prepares to click fully into gear as clubs will again engage in a rat race to land Europe’s elite talents.
Some of the biggest names in football are potentially available for a free transfer this summer as their contracts expire at the end of the season.
So barring any contract renewals or pre-contract agreements, these elite players would all be out of their current deals by June 2023 and free to join new clubs without transfer fees.
Lionel Messi
It is not every day the greatest player of all time (arguably) becomes available on a free transfer but that will be the case on June 30, 2023, when Lionel Messi’s two-year contract with Paris Saint Germain expires.
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The Argentine legend joined PSG on August 10, 2021, and endured an underwhelming first season in Paris but has proven he is still a top player with 20 goals and assists each for the club this season while also leading his country to a historic World Cup win.
There is still uncertainty surrounding his future but it is unlikely that Messi extends his stay in Paris after his recent problems at the club.
A return to Barcelona, the club where he made his name for 16 years has been mooted while he also continues to be linked with a big-money move to the Saudi Arabian league, it remains to be seen what free agent Messi does.
Sergio Busquets
On September 27, 2018, Sergio Busquets signed a five-year extension to his contract at Barcelona, the club where he has been his entire career, since 2008.
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On June 30, 2023, that contract will expire and Busquets will be free to leave Barcelona as a free agent which reports indicate he will.
The 34-year-old has established himself as one of the greatest defensive midfielders in the history of the game and although he is over the hill, the Spaniard still played 29 league games to help Barcelona secure the 2022/23 La Liga title.
There is currently no strong indication as to Busquets’ next move, retirement is a strong possibility but nothing has been announced so far other than his departure from Barcelona upon expiration of his current contract in June.
Ilkay Gundogan
Fresh off winning his fifth Premier League title and in the running for a historic treble with Manchester City, German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan could be available for free this summer from June 30, just 20 days after the Champions League final against Inter Milan.
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Gundogan first joined Manchester City in 2016 from Borussia Dortmund for €27 million and in 2019 he signed a contract extension for four more years which will expire this summer.
The 32-year-old has been strongly linked with a move to Arsenal and even though no decision has been made on his future thus far, the fact that he still has not re-signed with Manchester City is an indication that he will be moving on from the club.
Angel Di Maria
Last summer, Angel Di Maria joined Juventus as a free agent after the expiration of his Paris Saint Germain contract and one year later, he is back in the same situation.
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The Argentine winger is set to be a free agent when his one-year contract at Juventus expires in June and there is almost no chance that he stays on in Turin beyond the summer.
The 35-year-old scored eight goals and added seven assists in 38 games for The Old Day across all competitions.
It remains to be seen where he would go this summer but Di Maria continues to prove that he is still capable of impacting top teams at a high level.
Milan Skriniar
Slovakian centre-back Milan Skriniar joined Inter Milan on a five-year deal from Sampdoria for €34 million in July 2017 and that contract will expire at the end of June 2023.
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This means Skriniar will be free to sign for any club of his choosing from July 1 and if the reports are to be believed, his next destination would be Paris.
The 28-year-old has been incessantly linked with a move to Paris Saint Germain over the past few transfer windows and it appears he will now get his wish.
PSG (or whoever else signs Skriniar) will be getting a €60 million-valued player without paying a dime in transfer fees for one of the best centre-backs in the world right now.
Other notable free agents available this summer
Here are other big-name and potentially impactful free agents this summer in descending order of their Transfermarkt valuations.
- 35-year-old French striker Karim Benzema is technically heading for free agency as his current contract at Real Madrid is set to expire even though there are reports that a one-year extension is already in place.
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- Speaking of French strikers, 25-year-old Marcus Thuram is in the last moments of his four-year deal with Borussia Monchengladbach and is determined to move to a bigger club as a free agent.
Marcus, the son of the legendary Lillian Thuram has scored 16 goals and assisted seven more for Monchengladbach in 31 games across all competitions this season.
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- 23-year-old central defender, Evan Ndicka is also on the free agency list this summer and would be a good addition to a number of teams based on his performances for Eintracht Frankfurt.
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- Adrien Rabiot could also be on the move this summer as his four-year deal at Juventus expires in June and the 28-year-old French midfielder has been linked to Manchester United amongst other potential destinations.
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- Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans is one of the more attractive prospects available on the free agent market this summer as the 26-year-old will no longer be a Leicester City player beyond this season.
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Tielemans' four-year stay at Leicester City will end and the free agent is attracting interest from big clubs like Arsenal and Chelsea amongst others.
Other important free agents include 31-year-old Roberto Firmino who has already said his farewell to Liverpool and Marco Asensio whose future at Real Madrid remains in doubt.
RB Leipzig's Konrad Laimer, Crystal Palace's Wilfred Zaha, Borussia Dortmund's Raphael Guerrero and English international Jesse Lingard are some other potential free agents who could interest clubs.
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