LIONEL MESSI and Sergio Ramos head the list of world-class names who are now into the final six months of their current contracts.
And that means we could see some incredible free transfers at the end of the season.
These players are all out of contract come the end of the season so will be available for free
Lionel Messi made a dramatic U-turn to see out the final year of his Barcelona contractCredit: AFP or licensors
Messi threatened to quit Barcelona this summer but decided to honour his deal while Ramos is holding out for more than a one-year extension at Real Madrid.
But with the likes of Mesut Ozil, Memphis Depay and Sergio Aguero also running down their deals, plenty of clubs will be eyeing up some smart business.
From January, players whose contracts are expiring will be able to start negotiating with new clubs over free summer moves.
And could there even be a surprise return to the Premier League in store for Diego Costa after his release from Atletico Madrid?
SunSport picks out some of the best players available for nothing next summer.
GK – Gianluigi Donnarumma
The AC Milan stopper burst on to the scene as a teenager and is still backed to be Italy’s No1 for many years.
But with just months to go on his current deal, could he be holding out for one of the European superpowers to come calling?
RB – Eric Garcia
OK, yes, his favoured position is at centre-back but for this team he is going to have to move across.
The Manchester City star revealed he will not be signing a contract extension at the Etihad and is expected to rejoin Barcelona after a summer move fell through.
CB – Sergio Ramos
Ramos takes the first centre-back spot as one of the greatest in that position over the last decade.
Captain now Iker Casillas has gone, penalty taker now Cristiano Ronaldo has gone, the Real Madrid icon may no longer be at his peak aged 34 but is still a fine defender.
Zinedine Zidane insists he will stay but Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Inter Miami or even a reunion with Jose Mourinho at Spurs may all be tempting destinations.
CB – Jerome Boateng
On paper, Boateng has enjoyed a stellar career with an FA Cup, eight Bundesligas, two Champions Leagues and the World Cup.
But even then the German still leaves some unconvinced he is in the top bracket – however, you could do worse for a free agent and that is why Chelsea and Arsenal are linked.
Sergio Ramos continues to lead by example for Real Madrid with the armband and spot-kick responsibilitiesCredit: Getty Images – Getty
The percentage of answers have been round up or down from their decimal points
LB – David Alaba
Alaba, meanwhile, has proven his quality time and time again – and in many different positions.
The Bayern Munich star excelled at left-back for years but has since moved into midfield and centre-back, making it look easy – no wonder the giants are battling it out for his signature.
CM – Luka Modric
A serial winner for Real Madrid, ended the Ballon d’Or duopoly and took Croatia to the World Cup final.
But it looks as though Modric’s nine years at the Bernabeu will come to an end following the emergence of Fede Valverde and others.
CM – Georginio Wijnaldum
A critical part of the Liverpool engine room which delivered European and then league success.
Ronald Koeman taking over at Barcelona and Thiago’s arrival at Anfield led to speculation of a departure this summer – give it to the end of the season and he could well be lining up at the Nou Camp with no new contract signed.
CM – Mesut Ozil
Arsenal will be counting down the days until they can stop paying Ozil £350,000 per week, or £50,000 a day, or £2,083 an hour, or £34.72 per minute.
The German signed his lucrative new deal in January 2018 and has done very little for the club since – and absolutely nothing after the lockdown restart, except offer to pay for Gunnersaurus’ wages.
Turkey or the MLS both seem like possible destinations.
Luka Modric became the first player other than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to win the Ballon d’Or since Kaka in 2007Credit: AP:Associated Press
RW – Lionel Messi
We almost witnessed one of the most spectacular of all transfers this summer when Messi was ready to walk out on Barcelona after nearly 20 years.
His loyalty to the Catalan giants saw him perform a U-turn so he didn’t take them to court and instead would honour the final year.
But it would take a remarkable shake-up for the Argentine to sign a new deal as Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain plot mammoth offers.
Messi recently said: “I know there are a lot of people at Barca who still love me, but I’m going to do what is best for the club and for myself.
“I don’t know if I’m going to leave, but if I do, I would like to leave in the best way possible and be able to return to the club in the future.”
ST – Sergio Aguero
Aguero is the greatest foreign goalscorer the Premier League has seen, breaking records galore and bagging more than 250 times for City since his arrival in 2011.
But this season may well be his last if there is no agreement made for the 32-year-old to stay on beyond the summer – and he would not be short of options.
LW – Memphis Depay
Remembered by many for his failed spell at Manchester United, Depay reset with Lyon and has proven he is still a top-class talent.
Like compatriot Wijnaldum, he was close to joining Barcelona in the last window but a deal could not get over the line in time – another impressive campaign in Ligue 1 will ensure the biggest clubs keep an eye out.
Alternative XI
Unsurprisingly, there are still a fair few names not getting into that star-studded XI.
So here is the Alternative XI – and it is pretty strong with experienced internationals, Premier League kings and a World Cup winner.
Another whole team of out-of-contract talented players could make up a second-string XI
GK – Marko Dmitrovic
The Eibar stopper is one of a number from LaLiga out of contract at the end of the current campaign – alongside Rui Silva from Granada and Sevilla’s Tomas Vaclik – with Atletico Madrid potentially eyeing Dmitrovic.
CB – Romain Saiss
The versatile Morocco captain has played more than 150 times – across the defence and midfield – for Wolves since his 2016 arrival and has the option of an extra 12 months at Molineux.
CB – Jonny Evans
At £3m, Leicester bagged a great deal when they landed the former Manchester United defender, who played in every league game for the Foxes in 2019-20 – don’t rule out a new deal getting signed.
CB – Shkodran Mustafi
Mustafi’s Arsenal career looked all over before Mikel Arteta’s arrival and a strong end to the season.
But will he be needed next season with William Saliba, Gabriel, Pablo Mari, Rob Holding, Calum Chambers AND Konstantinos Mavropanos?
Talks did take place with Barcelona over a ludicrous signing but surely even that would be a step too far on the list of bonkers Nou Camp transfers.
Manchester clubs have the worst net spend in the past decade by some distance
RM – Florian Thauvin
The French wide man did not enjoy his best football during a spell at Newcastle but, back at Marseille he was enjoying his football until a cruel ligament injury which ruled him out for almost the entire 2019-20 season.
CM – Riqui Puig
Another graduate of the famous La Masia academy at Barcelona, Puig looked destined to follow the footsteps of Andres Iniesta and Xavi – but it has not quite worked out for him just yet, especially under Koeman, and he could be let go with Arsenal or Leeds keen.
CM – Julian Draxler
The German midfielder’s Paris Saint-Germain career never really took off as many expected following his 2017 arrival from Wolfsburg but aged 27 he will be confident of further success.
LM – Danny Rose
England’s No1 left-back for many years saw his career spiral downwards when Jose Mourinho arrived at Spurs and he needs to find a new club while he can still do a job.
The 30-year-old walks into a fair number of Premier League sides – rather than just the Spurs U23s he has turned out for this term.
Jonny Evans and Andros Townsend will both be hoping to sign new deals before the season endsCredit: PA:Press Association
Danny Rose needs to leave Tottenham to get his career back on trackCredit: Getty Images – Getty
CAM – Angel Di Maria
Not many players can boast a CV of clubs like Di Maria.
But now well into his 30s, he will do well to earn another contract at Paris Saint-Germain and will need to be playing to get back into the Argentina fold ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
ST – Arkadiusz Milik
He may have already racked up more than 50 Poland appearances but it appears Spurs-target Milik is unwanted at Napoli. Turning 27 in February, he still has plenty to offer.
ST – Diego Costa
And last but by no means least is Costa. The fiery front man banged in 59 goals in 120 Chelsea appearances before returning to Atletico Madrid in 2017 – before ripping up his contract to leave for nothing.
Goal-shy Arsenal and Wolves, who are without Raul Jimenez, are among the early favourites to land the Spaniard.
The arrival of Luis Suarez saw Diego Costa leave Atletico Madrid – could a return to the Premier League be on the cards?Credit: Getty Images – Getty
Man Utd star Paul Pogba confirms he’d like Real Madrid transfer ‘one day’ but insists he’s happy at Old Trafford
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
