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Signing a player on a free transfer is one the most cost-effective ways of recruitment, and in these COVID-19 times when several clubs are reeling from financial losses, many will look at options available on a Bosman.
Even though the summer transfer window is just under two weeks from closing, some big-name players are entering the final year of their contracts in the 2020-21 season. So unless a new deal is negotiated with their respective clubs, they could be available for free next summer. Here are the top ten such players.
Top ten players who will be available for free at the end of the 2020-21 season
#10 Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan)
It's quite incredible that Gianluigi Donnarumma is still only 21 years old, having racked up over 200 appearances for the Rossoneri since bursting onto the scene as a teenager over five years ago.
According to Football Italia, the shot-stopper is demanding an extension of his contract beyond 2021 that would raise his wages to €10 million, almost double that of his current €6 million, with negotiations in this regard said to begin soon.
Milan are keen to hang on to Donnarumma who's the youngest debutant in Serie A history as well as the club's seventh-most capped goalkeeper, even as rivals Juventus are reportedly eyeing the young player for next summer.
#9 Florian Thauvin (Olympique Marseille)
From a tuxedo-wearing Premier League flop to becoming Marseille's talismanic forward, the rebirth of Florian Thauvin is one of the best fairytale stories of recent times. Though he has just a year left on his contract with Les Olympiens, the 27-year old is eager to continue in the south of France.
An ankle injury at the start of last season ruled the winger out for a whole year, sparking rumours of a transfer. But Thauvin reiterated his desire to stay put in a recent Instagram Live, though Marseille reportedly don't have the means to make an attractive offer to him due to financial problems.
This could force the club to sell Thauvin this summer, with Football-Italia stating that Marseille could be ready to offer the French player for €20 million, which has alerted Serie A sides like Juventus, AS Roma and Napoli.
#8 Arkadiusz Milik (SSC Napoli)
Polish striker Arkadiusz Milik hasn't always been the leading player for SSC Napoli, but nonetheless maintained a decent record since arriving from Ajax in 2016; he has scored 48 times from 122 games for the Partenopei.
Milik is now on the radar of AS Roma and Tottenham Hotspur, both of whom are looking to strengthen their attacking options. The latter are reportedly in pole position to sign Milik after a £24 million deal with the Giallorossi fell through, but the London club later cleared the air by denying those rumours.
Though Napoli's sporting director Cristiano Guintoli intends to keep the player as he believes the 26-year old still has 'plenty fo offer', rumours of Spurs edging closer to secure his transfer are growing stronger.
#7 David Alaba (Bayern Munich)
The rumour mill was rife with reports of David Alaba supposedly on his way out of Bayern Munich this summer. The Austrian, who's spent his entire senior career with the Bavarian giants, wanted to ensure the club receives a transfer fee since his current contract ends in 2021.
Even though negotiations of a new deal with the player are still ongoing, the club's reluctance to increase Alaba's wages to prevent upsetting the team structure has caused an impasse. But Bayern Munich president Harbert Hainer has said that the club has a 'plan B or plan C' if an agreement is not reached with the Austrian player.
Alaba, having joined Bayern Munich as a teenager, is one of the longest-serving players in the squad and has been a mainstay in the club's first-team for a decade now. He has made 386 appearances with the senior team and won 21 trophies, which includes two continental trebles.
#6 Memphis Depay (Olympique Lyon)
Memphis Depay has resurrected his career at Lyon after his failed move to Manchester United, finding his best form again and even guiding his side to the semi-finals of the Champions League last season by scoring six goals.
This has once again sparked interest in Depay from several top sides, with Barcelona rumoured to be leading the chase as the club looks to reinforce their options in attack after Luis Suarez's move to Atletico Madrid.
Depay has said that he's aware of the interest but has also expressed uncertainty over the likelihood of moving out this summer, though certain reports claim that negotiations with Lyon are already underway.
#5 Georginio Wijnaldum (Liverpool)
Like his compatriot Memphis Depay, Georginio Wijnaldum too is linked with Barcelona as he enters the final 12 months of his Liverpool contract.
Wijnaldum, who has been a key figure in Jurgen Klopp's heavy-metal gig that has romped to Premier League and Champions League titles in the last twelve months, is tight-lipped about his future.
No fresh terms have been agreed between the Dutch player and the Reds yet. With La Liga apparently foiling Barcelona's plans by introducing strict guidelines for transfer policy, the Merseysiders have been handed a boost in their efforts to retain Wijnaldum and even negotiate a new deal with the player.
#4 Angel Di Maria (Paris St. Germain)
Another player who's breathed new life in his career following a dismal spell with Manchester United is Angel Di Maria who is now into the final year of his contract with Paris St. Germain, athough he hasn't been strongly linked with any major club yet.
Part of the reason for that could be his intentions to head back to Argentina to see out the final days of his career as he reportedly said in a press conference in January this year that he hopes Paris will be his last team in Europe.
Since joining the French outfit for €63 million in 2015, the Argentine player has proved to be a bang for the buck, scoring 82 times and making 93 assists in 224 appearances while lifting 15 titles along the way.
#3 Paul Pogba (Manchester United)
Frenchman Paul Pogba is arguably the most polarising figure at Old Trafford, having endured mixed fortunes with Manchester United due to his injury problems and inconsistent form.
He was apparently on the verge of leaving the club this summer but opted to stay put as the Red Devils secured a top-four finish in the Premier League. Pogba is now in the final year of his Manchester United contract, though.
Although there's an option of extending the French player's stay by another year, reports suggest that he's keen on returning to former side Juventus in 2021 despite the midfielder's suggestions that he intends to stay on in Manchester.
Either way, this promises to be another year laced with transfer speculations for Pogba.
#2 Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
Sergio Aguero, one of the best and most transformative signings in the history of Manchester City, will complete a decade at the club at the end of the 2020-21 season, which might also be his last as he runs out of contract next summer.
Aguero is the highest scorer in Manchester City's history as well as the most prolific foreign player in the EPL.
Even though the Skyblues are willing to offer the player an extension, the striker has reportedly been evading talks of contract renewal as he has expressed his desire to return to his boyhood club Independiente in Argentina to end his career.
Aguero's agent Hernan Reguera says that the player will 'see what happens' after his deal expires in 2021, though at 32, the Argentina international still has a few more years left at the top.
#1 Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)
The seemingly unthinkable divorce between Lionel Messi and FC Barcelona was on the verge of becoming a shocking reality after the Argentinian player handed his transfer request in August following a catastrophic season for Barcelona who went trophyless for the first time in more than a decade.
However, upon realising that it was impossible to buy out his own €700 million release clause and his own unwillingness to drag the club to court, the Argentine player opted to stay on and see out his contract at Barcelona, which puts Lionel Messi's transfer saga to bed, albeit for now.
Whether the Barcelona skipper decides to stay on beyond the 2020-21 season will depend on various factors. But even otherwise, he won't be short of suitors despite turning 34 next June, with Manchester City, Inter Milan and PSG touted to be his potential destinations.
