Summer transfer window 2022 top players available on a free: Who is out of contract and where will they sign?

Kyle Bonn

Summer transfer window 2022 top players available on a free: Who is out of contract and where will they sign? image

The summer transfer window provides a chance for clubs to hit the reset button, with the previous season over and a new one on the horizon. This summer there's an unusually large crop of talented players who are out of contract and available on the open market.

More players than ever have made the increasingly popular decision to run down their contracts and have a larger say in their ultimate destination. Additionally, players realize that if a prospective club doesn't have to pay a transfer fee for a player's services, that's money that instead could be allocated towards a bidding war for their salary.

For clubs, the opportunity to sign a player on a free transfer allows them to avoid negotiations with two parties and instead just focus on terms with the player's camp.

Sporting News brings you the best players currently available on the open market, as well as others who have already determined their final destination.

MORE: Which teams are in the 2022-23 Champions League?


Players out of contract in summer transfer window 2022

The following list is a selection of the notable players out of contract this summer and therefore available to sign on a free transfer at this very moment. Some players could eventually re-sign with their current club (and some did), but many will be selecting new teams.

Goalkeepers

A pair of veteran 'keepers Tottenham goakeeper Hugo Lloris (35 years old) and Inter Milan's Samir Handanovic (37) will be sticking around with their club. It's unclear what the future holds for David Ospina and Sam Johnstone.

Player Age Current Club Current Contract Signed New Club Date Signed
Igor Akinfeev 35 CSKA Moscow August 29, 2018 Re-signed Mar. 22, 2022
Samir Handanovic 37 Inter September 8, 2020 Re-signed May 23, 2022
Sam Johnstone 28 West Brom July 3, 2018 Crystal Palace July 1, 2022
Hugo Lloris 35 Tottenham December 26, 2016 Re-signed Jan. 21, 2022
Andre Onana 25 Ajax March 28, 2019 Inter Jan. 4, 2022
David Ospina 33 Napoli July 4, 2019 Al-Nassr July 11, 2022

MORE: Top 10 star players at AFCON 2022

Defenders

Out-of-contract Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger joined Real Madrid and Bayern Munich's Niklas Sule was snatched by Borussia Dortmund.

American John Brooks has an uncertain future after a down year at Wolfsburg.

Player Age Current Club Current Contract Signed New Club Date Signed
John Brooks 28 Wolfsburg July 1, 2017    
Andreas Christensen 25 Chelsea January 9, 2018 Barcelona July 4, 2022
Juan Cuadrado 33 Juventus November 21, 2019 Re-signed Apr. 15, 2022
Mattia De Sciglio 29 Juventus July 20, 2017 Re-signed Apr. 22, 2022
Jason Denayer 26 Lyon August 21, 2018    
Luiz Felipe 24 Lazio March 19, 2018 Real Betis July 4, 2022
Matthias Ginter 27 Gladbach July 4, 2017 Freiburg July 1, 2022
Noussair Mazraoui 24 Ajax April 1, 2019 Bayern Munich May 15, 2022
Alessio Romagnoli 26 AC Milan June 5, 2018 Lazio July 12, 2022
Antonio Rudiger 28 Chelsea July 9, 2017 Real Madrid June 2, 2022
Romain Saiss 31 Wolves March 18, 2021 Besiktas July 1, 2022
Fabian Schar 30 Newcastle July 7, 2021 Re-signed Apr. 29, 2022
Niklas Sule 30 Bayern Munich July 1, 2017 Borussia Dortmund Feb. 9, 2022
James Tarkowski 29 Burnley January 4, 2018 Everton July 2, 2022
Dan-Axel Zagadou 22 Borussia Dortmund June 5, 2017    

Midfielders

In addition to Pogba, there are plenty of other midfielders in their prime who are available. Real Madrid's Isco could trigger a bidding war.

Player Age Current Club Current Contract Signed New Club Date Signed
Marcelo Brozovic 29 Inter Milan October 25, 2018 Re-signed Mar. 23, 2022
Mohamed Elneny 29 Arsenal March 26, 2018 Re-signed May 24, 2022
Christian Eriksen 29 Brentford Jan. 31, 2022 Man United July 15, 2022
Isco 29 Real Madrid September 14, 2017    
Boubacar Kamara 22 Marseille August 31, 2019 Aston Villa May 23, 2022
Franck Kessie 25 AC Milan July 1, 2019 Barcelona Mar. 22, 2022
Jesse Lingard 29 Manchester United July 1, 2014 Nott. Forest July 21, 2022
Henrikh Mkhitaryan 32 Roma June 1, 2021 Inter July 1, 2022
Luka Modric 36 Real Madrid May 25, 2021 Re-signed Apr. 29, 2022
Ivan Perisic 32 Inter September 8, 2017 Tottenham May 31, 2022
Paul Pogba 28 Manchester United August 9, 2016 Juventus July 11, 2022
Sergi Roberto 29 Barcelona February 22, 2018 Re-signed June 10, 2022
Corentin Tolisso 27 Bayern Munich July 1, 2017 Lyon July 1, 2022
Axel Witsel 32 Borussia Dortmund August 6, 2018 Atletico Madrid July 6, 2022

Forwards

The future destinations of Dembele and Dybala will carry some intrigue, while Divock Origi's arrival at AC Milan is only needing the official announcement.

Lorenzo Insigne signed a pre-contract agreement with Toronto FC, set to join the MLS club in the summer.

Player Age Current Club Current Contract Signed New Club Date Signed
Andrea Belotti 23 Torino December 4, 2016    
Federico Bernardeschi 27 Juventus July 24, 2017 Toronto FC July 15, 2022
Ousmane Dembele 24 Barcelona August 25, 2017 Re-signed July 14, 2022
Angel Di Maria 34 PSG Aug. 6, 2015 Juventus July 8, 2022
Paulo Dybala 28 Juventus April 13, 2017 Roma July 20, 2022
Lorenzo Insigne 30 Napoli April 22, 2017 Toronto FC Jan. 8, 2022
Adnan Januzaj 26 Real Sociedad July 12, 2017    
Andrej Kramaric 30 Hoffenheim August 17, 2018 Re-signed Mar. 12, 2022
Alexandre Lacazette 30 Arsenal July 5, 2017 Lyon June 9, 2022
Cyle Larin 26 Besiktas January 15, 2018 Club Brugge July 4, 2022
Kylian Mbappe 23 Paris Saint-Germain July 1, 2018 Re-signed May 21, 2022
Eddie Nketiah 22 Arsenal December 6, 2017 Re-signed June 18, 2022
Divock Origi 26 Liverpool July 10, 2019 AC Milan May 23, 2022
Cristian Pavon 25 Boca Juniors July 13, 2018 Atletico Minero July 18, 2022

Top players available on a free in summer transfer window 2022

Isco

  • Age: 30
  • Position: Attacking midfielder
  • Last club: Real Madrid
  • Rumored destinations: Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Wolves, Sevilla

A 30-year-old with plenty of top-tier experience at Real Madrid, Isco's usage with Los Blancos waned heavily under Carlo Ancelotti.

Still, the Spaniard would be a fantastic addition for a club looking to increase its midfield flow and creativity. There's been little solid movement on his future, but Sevilla would be an ideal landing point as he looks to stay with a Champions League club in Spain.


Andrea Belotti

  • Age: 28
  • Position: Center forward
  • Last club: Torino FC
  • Rumored destinations: Newcastle, Toronto FC, West Ham, Atalanta, Fiorentina

Torino had their chances to cash in and sell Belotti for a significant return over the years, and each time the club resisted. The gamble did not pay off and Belotti will now leave for free this summer though his name isn't remotely as hot as it was two years ago.

He could stay in Italy with the likes of Atalanta or Fiorentina, make a move to England and play for Newcastle or West Ham who are reportedly in play, and an offer from MLS side Toronto FC is also apparently an option.


Players signed on a free transfer in summer transfer window 2022

Some players have already settled on a final destination, with their next club already picked out.

Here is a list of the top players available this summer on a free transfer who have put pen to paper on a new contract, either with their old club or with a new team.

Kylian Mbappe (PSG)

Easily the most high-profile and most valuable young player in the world, Kylian Mbappe's future had been highly speculated for some time.

Amidst the very public process, Mbappe seemed to be down to just two choices, both extremely lucrative offers from current club PSG and Spanish giants Real Madrid. Shockingly, while Real Madrid seemed the clear frontrunner, Mbappe announced on May 21 that he would be staying at PSG on a three-year contract.

The rumored contract will see Mbappe earn massive wages, and he still could join Real Madrid eventually. Still just 23 years old, it's already rumored that Mbappe will spend two more seasons at PSG and then look to move to Real Madrid, netting PSG a transfer fee in the process.

MORE: Kylian Mbappe contract & salary details with PSG


Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid)

The former Chelsea defender had reportedly agreed to a four-year contract with Real Madrid weeks before the official announcement on June 2.

He said his goodbyes to Chelsea fans via a May 20 Players Tribune article. He played at the club since a transfer from AS Roma in July 2017.


Franck Kessie (Barcelona)

The 25-year-old was a massive part of AC Milan's scudetto push this season, and multiple reports have indicated that he intends to move to Barcelona this summer at the expiration of his contract.

The reports say Kessie has signed a four-year contract through the summer of 2026, but Barcelona are in a holding pattern on announcing new signings due to their financial situation. It is believed that players need to be transferred out of the club before anyone new can be brought in.


Paul Pogba (Juventus)

The mercurial midfielder decided not extended his contract at Manchester United, and instead moves back to his old club Juventus. The Old Lady let Pogba leave for a massive transfer fee, only to re-acquire him on a free transfer a few years later, an excellent bit of business.

Pogba will return to the club where he played his best, and the Frenchman could see yet another revival as Juventus push for a return to the top of the Serie A table.


Christian Eriksen (Man United)

After collapsing on the field at the 2021 Euros, Christian Eriksen has made a remarkable and inspiring return to football. His short-term contract with Brentford proved to be a revelation for the Bees, and Eriksen helped lift the club to Premier League safety, proving he's still at the top of his game in the process.

At 30 years old, Eriksen doesn't have a lot of time left in his prime, but he's done more than enough to prove he's ready to help a club at a European level. He joins Man United as one of the first signings by new manager Erik ten Hag, ready to help Bruno Fernandes in the creative department.


Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona)

In January, it seemed that Ousmane Dembele would surely leave Barcelona this summer on a free transfer, having been frozen out of the team for refusing to sign a new contract. After impressing on the pitch through the second half, it appeared he had regained new leverage to negotiate with other clubs.

Instead, those talks sputtered. There were rumors of a deal with Chelsea, but that never materialized, and he returns to Barcelona with his tail between his legs. Dembele's return is a boost for the Catalan club that benefitted greatly from the Frenchman's second-half revival last season.


Paulo Dybala (AS Roma)

On May 15, Paulo Dybala announced on social media that this season would be his last with Juventus. The 28-year-old Argentine has suffered through a difficult season, and he departs Turin with his contract expiring.

"I thought we would have stayed together a few more years but destiny has led us down different paths," Dybala said in his farewell post.

After a long and drawn-out process, Dybala joined Roma where Jose Mourinho reportedly convinced the Argentine himself to join. How will Dybala's addition help the club's push for finishing in a Champions League place? Both club and player need each other to spark a revival, which could make for a perfect match.


What is a free transfer in football?

Thanks to the court ruling in favor of Jean-Marc Bosman in 1995, the modern game has been transformed by the free transfer.

Prior to this ruling, clubs in Europe retained the rights to a player even after the expiration of a contract, meaning other teams wishing to acquire that player still had to pay a transfer fee. This gave clubs undue control over a player's future, and the length of a contract was relatively insignificant.

Since the ruling, players have been free to sign with any club on a "pre-contract agreement" up to six months before the expiration of their contract, giving players leverage in the free market. It is known as a "free" transfer because there is no transfer fee required to acquire the player, although often when it comes to top players, the ultimate cost is far from "free" with agent fees and a bidding war for wages often driving up the price.

Players have utilized this power at an increasing rate over the past few years, as they have realized clubs are willing to pay higher wages for players on free transfers. The equation is simple: Money previously earmarked for a transfer fee is instead allocated towards a more competitive wage package.

Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn Photo

Kyle Bonn, is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.