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Although the teams in France, Spain, Germany and Italy have nearly a month to secure their signings, the English teams will have to wind up their deals by the 8th of August. Hence, we can expect a lot of transfer action in the upcoming days and weeks.
Free-agents can be acquired even after the transfer window shuts but most teams will be targeting to finalise their squads before the start of the season to ensure that the team's chemistry is not disturbed due to the arrival of new faces.
This summer, we have already seen a number of high-profile players switch clubs on a free transfer. The likes of Aaron Ramsey, Adrien Rabiot, Ander Herrera and Hector Herrera have all been part of such deals, proving that teams still don't mind the odd player popping up for free.
In the current inflated situation of the transfer market, free-agents offer flexibility to the teams as they are able to make significant changes to their squads without doing much damage to the financial books.
Hence, out-of-contract players are in huge demand and here are three such players who might be targeted by teams as the summer comes to a close.
#3 Daniel Sturridge
Daniel Sturridge's 7-year Liverpool career came to a close at the end of last season as the club decided to part ways with the striker. Having scored close to 80 goals for the Reds, Sturridge's inability to remain match-fit consistently might have played a key role in the Anfield outfit not renewing his contract.
However, the 29-year-old can still prove to be a valuable asset if he can keep himself fit and the Englishman can serve the role of a lead-striker for a mid-table Premier League side, at least. Teams looking for depth in the attacking department could also utilise the services of Sturridge.
Hence, it would be interesting to note which club, if any, Sturridge signs for in the coming weeks.
#2 Mario Balotelli
After a brief hiccup in his career, Mario Balotelli has started to regain his mojo in the past few seasons. The prolific forward scored 43 goals in 76 appearances for Ligue 1 outfit, Nice in the last three seasons and looked sharp. The Italian's recent form has also been good with him scoring 8 goals in 12 games at Marseille, where he was on loan from Nice.
With his presence in front of goal, teams could be guaranteed an end product and he would cause many a defence problems. If Balotelli gets going, he is sure to score goals and hence, would be a good pick for mid-table clubs or bigger clubs looking for attacking depth.
#1 Dani Alves
Dani Alves led Brazil to victory in the Copa America recently in which the full-back was also awarded the "Player of the tournament" accolade. Despite being 36, Dani Alves is one of the best full-backs going around and his form in the recently concluded Copa America drives that point home.
The Brazilian is a leader on the field and can also play as a centre-back or a defensive midfielder, if required. His experience on the pitch along with his instincts in attacking situations would be helpful for most teams in Europe.
However, with the aspirations of the player still high, Alves' decision about his next club destination would be interesting.
