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In the days of 11 digit transfer fees, it is easy to forget how many of the biggest transfers in recent times haven't involved even one cent. Robert Lewandowski to Bayern, Sami Khedira to Juventus and James Milner to Liverpool are premium examples, and this summer, there are more premier talents who are out of contract.
Already, Diego Godin, certainly a contender for the finest defender in world football, has a pre-contract arrangement with Inter Milan, who he will join in June. Here are the 6 finest players who, as things stand, will be available for nothing as well.
#6 Adrien Rabiot (PSG)
At this point, the most unlikely midfield for Adrien Rabiot to be running next year is PSG's. His refusal to sign a new contract has seen him fail to play for the runaway French champions since the start of December, and has been excluded from training sessions.
Leonardo Paredes has already been drafted in during the transfer window, a player of a similar age in the same position; a ready-made replacement. Whilst it is commendable that club's hierarchy is standing so firm, the truth is that they will be probably be losing out on a transfer fee that could easily be more than $50 million USD.
Rabiot is a central midfield player who is equally adept at spraying passes as he is bursting forward into more advanced roles, and at a powerful 6'2'' he is also an imposing defensive presence. Despite having played in PSG's first team for several seasons, Rabiot is also just 23 years old.
Barcelona were reported to have already secured his signature, but the deal is said to have faltered; Liverpool, Arsenal and Bayern Munich's interest is said to be serious as well. It remains to be seen where Rabiot will end up, but his signing would be an enormous boost no matter which club he joins.
#5 Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich)
Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery are both in near-identical situations. Both have contracts that expire this summer, both have all but confirmed that they will not be signing an extension, and both are Bayern Munich, and indeed world football, legends.
In 2013, The Guardian ranked Ribery as the 4th best footballer on earth, the same position Robben would hold a year later. On opposing wings, both cutting in on their favoured foot, the pair were the inspiration behind Bayern's 2013 Champions league success, Robben scoring the winner in the final.
The time feels right for the pair to step down, and the Allianz Arena to show their appreciation for an incredible decade. However, both are far from finished. With 37 appearances between them so far this season, they would be superb marquee signings for leagues like the MLS, J-League or A-League.
Wages would not be cheap, but either player would be a superb coup for any team searching for a superstar with a couple of seasons left in them.
#3 David Luiz (Chelsea)
David Luiz has had a strange career, where what happened last has no causal relationship to what happens next. Bought to Chelsea in 2011, he divided opinion in his first spell at the club, and seemed to be struggling for his place in the 2013/2014 season, until PSG spent 50 million pounds on him.
3 years later, Chelsea resigning him at 34 million seemed like a major gamble, until his first season ended with a Premier League title and a place in the PFA team of the year. Conte subsequently dropped him for the next season. He is now back in Chelsea's team, but their policy of only offering 1-year deals to anyone over 30 means his future is up in the air.
Luiz has rejected an extension, seeking a two or three-year deal which club policy will not allow. Whilst it is a situation that could be resolved, at 31, Luiz is a defender with plenty of years left. His time at the top is not finished, and there would be plenty who would be happy to take him off the Blues' hands in June.
#2 Yacine Brahimi (Porto)
The Primeria League in Portugal is full of names familiar because of how frequently they feature in extended transfer speculation. William Carvalho, Rui Patricio and Vincent Aboubakar are all examples of players based in Portugal in a perpetual state of being linked with a move elsewhere.
Yacine Brahimi, the most prominent example in recent years, looks set to follow Carvalho and Patricio out of the country. Reports last summer suggested Porto's financial issues would force them to cash in on their prized asset in his last year of the contract, but no deal has been forthcoming.
Porto are resigned to losing him for free at the conclusion of this season. It is England that could well be his destination; Everton, West Ham, Arsenal and Wolves are all said to be interested.
Brahimi averages the most dribbles per game in the Portugese League and has 7 goals so far this season, and in 2014, was voted the African Footballer of the year, beating Yaya Toure and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
#1 Vincent Kompany (Manchester City)
Vincent Kompany, a player who more than any other has defined Manchester City's transition into a footballing superpower, is still just 32 years old.
Normally, such an elite central defender would have a part to play for several more seasons, but Manchester City will undoubtedly be considering the amount of game time their iconic club captain has missed through injury.
Additionally, with Nicolas Otamendi, John Stones and Aymeric Laporte at the club, even when fit Kompany may not be an automatic starter anymore. Kompany has described himself as 'relaxed' with the situation and considers his relationship with the club good enough that he will not have to worry until the season is over.
It would be a tender goodbye if Kompany was to depart at the season's conclusion, but he would surely walk into another deal elsewhere, despite his injury struggles. He has been one of the last decades premier defenders and has earned just as many fans for his dignity in his off-field conduct.
He would be an important addition to any dressing room should he and the club decide it is time to part ways.
