The summer transfer window is still a long way off but many clubs will be looking to see which players are out of contract and available to be snapped up for free.
With the football market growing rapidly it’s now harder than ever to sign new players without paying extortionate fees but one way for clubs to navigate this is to sign players who are coming to the end of their current contracts.
Some big names are yet to set pen to paper on contracts past Summer 2025 – here’s ten players whose futures are up in the air, ranked by market value as per Transfermarkt.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Current Club: Liverpool
Age: 26
Market value: €75m
The first of a Liverpool trio on this list, Alexander-Arnold’s contract situation would arguably be the biggest talking point of Liverpool’s season if Arne Slot hadn’t started life at Liverpool so well. The right-back is wanted by Real Madrid but has claimed he wants to captain his boyhood club.
With Conor Bradley as back-up Liverpool do have a clear replacement, but few footballers on earth can match Alexander-Arnold’s creativity and passing. If he were to leave it would be a huge blow to Liverpool fans and their chances on the pitch.
Leroy Sane
Current Club: Bayern Munich
Age: 29
Market value: €45m
Similarly to Liverpool, Bayern Munich have a trio of stars who are yet to be tied down. Sane has perhaps not hit the heights many would have expected after his move from Manchester City, although he reached 100 goal contributions in just under 200 games.
The winger has only just turned 29 and while he has had consistent small injuries, he has missed more than five games in a row for Bayern just once since joining. Few would consider him world-class but many elite clubs would see him as an astute signing if they could sign the German on a free.
Mohammed Salah
Current Club: Liverpool
Age: 32
Market value: €55m
Arguably the best player of the 2024-25 season so far, Salah has been Mr Reliable for Liverpool for over seven years so it’s a surprise to many that the club have allowed him to run down his contract this long.
Age is often a key factor in these discussions and whilst Salah is 32 he is quite clearly in incredible form and shape and has even upped his creativity this season, suggesting he can carry on at this level for multiple years. If Liverpool were to let the forward go on a free it would be a ludicrous decision and the Egyptian would be nigh on impossible to replace.
Frank Anguissa
Current Club: Napoli
Age: 29
Market value: €27m
Cameroonian midfielder Frank Anguissa joined Napoli from Fulham in 2022 after an initial loan period at the Diego Maradona. He was part of the team that won the Scudetto for the first time in more than three decades.
Anguissa has started every Serie A fixture for Napoli this season but will be out of contract in the summer. At 29, he's approaching the last big deal of his career.
Reports linking the combative midfielder with Aston Villa, Lyon and the Saudi Pro League have come to nothing, while Napoli have signalled their intention to retain Anguissa's services.
Joshua Kimmich
Current Club: Bayern Munich
Age: 29
Market value: €50m
A key cog in the Bayern Munich machine for nearly a decade, Kimmich has racked up over 400 appearances for Bayern but he is yet to sign a further deal.
The rumour mill suggests that both parties want to reach an agreement on the German staying at the club, but Bayern seem reluctant to pay Kimmich’s hefty bonus bill. With bags of experience, a near-perfect injury record and technical ability few can better Kimmich would surely attract elite clubs across Europe.
Jonathan David
Current Club: Lille
Age: 25
Market value: €45m
Jonathan David has been considered one of Europe’s hottest young prospects for years. With 120 goal contributions in just over 200 appearances, the talent is clearly there but David has failed to push on and become an elite forward, as many expected him to.
He is reportedly expected to turn down a new contract with a host of Champions League-level clubs interested in the Canadian who is likely to leave for free this summer.
Olivier Boscagli
Current Club: PSV
Age: 27
Market value: €27m
There might be a more decorated central defender available in the summer who's connected with Dutch football, but 27-year-old PSV man Olivier Boscagli will also be out of contract.
The Monegasque moved to PSV Eindhoven from boyhood club Nice in 2019 and is a regular starter in Peter Bosz's team. He's racked up more than 125 Eredivisie appearances for the Dutch champions but his deal is up in June.
Boscagli has been linked with interest from Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion but stay put in January after indicating a preference for moving in the summer.
Kevin De Bruyne
Current Club: Manchester City
Age: 33
Market value: €35m
Another Premier League great, Kevin De Bruyne is widely considered one of the best playmakers England has ever seen. In recent years injuries have stopped him from consistently playing but when he does his impact is still huge.
With City struggling compared to their recent highs, De Bruyne may choose to take this summer as an opportunity to leave Manchester after 10 hugely successful seasons. Despite his supreme talent his injury record and wage demands hamper his suitability to many clubs.
Jonathan Tah
Current Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Age: 28
Market value: €30m
Tah started 48 games for Bayer Leverkusen in their phenomenal 2023-24 season when they won the Bundesliga and only lost once in all competitions. The German centre-back has composure and strength and is still relatively young, especially for centre-backs, who typically peak at later ages.
Tah has said in interviews that he will not be renewing his contract, and he is likely to follow the path of many in Germany by signing for Bayern Munich, who were close to securing a deal for the defender in 2023.
Virgil van Dijk
Current Club: Liverpool
Age: 33
Market value: €28m
Van Dijk is the third Liverpool player on this list, and like Alexander-Arnold and Salah, is still at his world-class best. The imperious centre-back shows no signs of decline and was ranked at No.3 in FourFourTwo's list of the best Premier League defenders of all time.
With Ibrahima Konate’s injury record, Joe Gomez’s lack of consistent playing time and Jarrell Quansah’s ongoing development Liverpool simply cannot afford to lose van Dijk for free unless they are to splash the cash on another of Europe’s elite defenders. Liverpool’s captain has said he wants to stay at the club whilst the fans are very keen to see their no.4 continue.
