In recent years it has become a trend, almost a fixation by the clubs. More and more players whose contract ends, those for whom a cost does not have to be paid for their transfer, are on the agendas of the clubs, whose coffers, in most cases, are not having their best moment, especially since the pandemic.
The next transfer market, which officially begins on June 30, will not be an exception and the free footballers with the most billing will once again be the most desired by big European teams. In the list of this summer there are again important names. These are the most prominent:
His image lifting the Champions League closed the football season in the old continent. The 32-year-old Manchester City captain has been one of the architects of the great season for Pep Guardiola’s team, especially in the last stretch where he has scored several goals. The German midfielder, wanted by Barça, has been the undisputed starter with the English champion and has played a total of 51 games, including all those in the European competition. Gundogan, who stands out for his vision of the game, his technical ability and his arrival in the area, has finished the course with 11 goals and 7 assists.
The still forward of Borussia Mönchengladbach is due to his goalscoring ability and his youth (25 years old) one of the free players with the most poster. The Frenchman, an upright player with good one-on-one skills, has scored 16 goals this season, 13 of them in the Bundesliga, and has distributed 7 assists in 32 games.
Everything indicates that he will end up signing with PSG, according to various reports, but the Spaniard is still officially without a team. The 27-year-old striker for Real Madrid until now has not become the star he was aiming for in his first years in the elite. However, he has shown during his time as White that he has very interesting virtues for any top-level European team, especially his long shot and ball handling. This season he has scored 12 goals and eight assists in 51 games.
The veteran goalkeeper arrived at Manchester United as a promising youngster and will leave Old Trafford as team captain. The man from Madrid will leave the English club as the goalkeeper who has left a clean sheet the most times, with more than 181, but leaving some doubts in his last performances. De Gea is no longer the mainstay of the team that he was in his early years, although at 32 the Spanish international still has a run in the football elite.
The 31-year-old Brazilian formed together with Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah one of the most fearsome tridents in Europe in recent years. Champion of the Premier (2020) and the Champions League (2019) with Liverpool, the 31-year-old striker stands out for his good handling of the ball and his vision of the game, as well as his scoring nose. For several seasons he has been relegated to the status of substitute, in favor of new signings such as Diogo Jota, Luis Díaz and finally Darwin Núñez and Cody Gakpo. This past season he has played 35 games in which he has scored 13 goals and given five assists.
The 28-year-old Frenchman starred in a soap opera the last time he was released, when in 2019 he ended his contract with PSG. On that occasion, the Parisian club punished his refusal to renew by sending him to the stands, but now the 28-year-old midfielder faces the summer after being an indisputable player at Juventus. Rabiot has been the second most used footballer by Massimiliano Allegri. He stands out for his vision of the game and his arrival in the area. This past season he finished as the team’s second top scorer, with 11 goals.
The powerful 27-year-old winger did not quite materialize in his fleeting return to Barça, from winter to summer last season, but he made his virtues clear. The man from L’Hospitalet has been demonstrating his acceleration and his ability to overflow at Wolverhampton for five years, especially reaching the bottom line. Qualities that are scarce in football. However, this past year he has been a regular substitute, with 34 games played, of which 12 as a starter.
Despite the fact that he has lost prominence this past season at Crystal Palace, largely due to injuries, the 30-year-old Ivorian forward continues to have an interesting profile for any midfield team. Zaha, who this season has scored seven goals and three assists, stands out for his verticality and his ease in one-on-one. He is used to acting on the left side of the offensive line, but can also occupy the point of attack.
