The transfer window may have only just swung shut, but behind the scenes, sporting directors and recruitment specialists will already be on the lookout for future market opportunities. In all likelihood, their first port of call will be the list of players who will be available for absolutely nothing in less than a year’s time.
Having stayed put in the summer as the penultimate chance to generate a fee passed their respective clubs by, several big-name stars have entered the final year of their contracts. While some could yet renew their terms, many others will be available to sign on a free transfer as early as January, when pre-contracts can officially be signed.
But who are the leading names to keep an eye on as the weeks and months wear on? Below, BALLGM brings you the 10 best players who are currently set to become free agents in 2026:
The transfer window may have only just swung shut, but behind the scenes, sporting directors and recruitment specialists will already be on the lookout for future market opportunities. In all likelihood, their first port of call will be the list of players who will be available for absolutely nothing in less than a year’s time.
Having stayed put in the summer as the penultimate chance to generate a fee passed their respective clubs by, several big-name stars have entered the final year of their contracts. While some could yet renew their terms, many others will be available to sign on a free transfer as early as January, when pre-contracts can officially be signed.
But who are the leading names to keep an eye on as the weeks and months wear on? Below, BALLGM brings you the 10 best players who are currently set to become free agents in 2026:
Frenkie de Jong’s Barcelona future has been suspended up in the air for what feels like an age. Since the Blaugrana’s financial turmoil was exposed, not a transfer window has gone by without the Dutch midfielder’s sale being postured as a potential solution to the club’s ongoing problems, with his eye-watering €365,000-per-week wages a significant burden. But six years after his big-money arrival from Ajax, he’s still there.
In 2026, Barcelona finally have an opportunity to shed that weighty salary as De Jong enters the final 12 months of the deal he signed in 2020. However, remarkably, they look set to keep him on. Despite the wealth of midfield options available to Hansi Flick, the 28-year-old has confirmed he plans to sign a renewal, with a three-year extension on the table. There has been a bit of a hold-up, but that’s been attributed to the player changing agents.
Now 30 years old, Serge Gnabry has blown hot and cold for Bayern Munich in recent seasons, with niggling injuries taking their toll and affecting his status as a guaranteed starter. He has, though, outlasted fellow long-serving wingers Kingsley Coman and Leroy Sane, who were both moved on in the summer, despite an indifferent 2024-25 season where he managed a relatively modest 12 goal contributions in the Bundesliga.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, there is currently no talk of an extension for the attacker, although he has repaid the faith shown in him by making a flying start to the new campaign under Vincent Kompany. If he can keep up this kind of form, then Bayern might well come to the table with the offer of a renewal. If he feels it’s time for a change, then the Germany international should have no shortage of suitors as a free agent in 2026.
Another long-serving Bayern Munich star, Leon Goretzka has battled back into contention under Kompany at the Allianz Arena when it seemed certain he was going to be phased out last season, remaining a starter at the beginning of the new campaign. However, question marks remain over whether he has done enough to convince the club’s hierarchy that he deserves a new contract, having entered the final 12 months of his current deal.
With the opportunity to bring in a transfer fee for the midfielder now all-but gone, it was previously reported that Die Roten have decided against a renewal despite the 30-year-old’s resurgence and there are no plans for one to be tabled. Manchester United has been perennially touted as a potential destination for Goretzka, and those links are almost certain to resurface unless those in charge behind the scenes in Munich make a U-turn on their initial decision.
After some textbook late drama in the transfer window, Marc Guehi remains a Crystal Palace player. Early on deadline day, it had seemed for all the world that the centre-back was destined for Liverpool as the Reds finally made their move for a player they had been tracking all summer long. Despite a £35 million ($47m) agreement between the two clubs and Guehi undergoing a medical, Palace called the deal off at the 11th hour as they failed to find an adequate replacement before the deadline.
And so, barring another dramatic twist, the defender will play out the final year of his contract at Selhurst Park before becoming a free agent. This might be a forgone conclusion, with Liverpool presumably set to snap him up next summer or on a pre-contract in January to see off any competition. In the meantime, it would be of little surprise if more suitors emerged for the England international, who has previously been linked with Manchester City and will still have plenty of admirers at Chelsea, where he came through the academy.
Guehi’s arrival at Anfield could be very well-timed, with the expectation that current Liverpool centre-back Ibrahima Konate will walk away from the club when his own contract expires in the summer. If all the pieces fall into place, the Reds will have a ready-made replacement lined up when he departs. There seems to be an acceptance that Konate will join Real Madrid on a free transfer in 2026; contract talks with the player have been fruitless, and the Spanish giants are clearly willing to wait out the remainder of his deal as they didn’t make a bid for the Frenchman during the window.
As such, Liverpool have now missed their chance to generate a fee, but there isn’t much they could do after the defender’s head was turned by Los Blancos, who love a blockbuster free transfer. Unlike the Trent Alexander-Arnold situation, it will not necessarily be viewed as the greatest loss, either, with Konate flattering to deceive at the start of the new campaign and his likely replacement set to cost the club absolutely nothing.
The silence surrounding Mike Maignan’s contract situation is deafening. The goalkeeper was reported to have verbally agreed a two-year extension to his current AC Milan deal early in 2025, but with September now upon us, there is still no update on his future. The delay is supposedly down to a hierarchical reshuffle at San Siro, as well as concerns over the France international’s form last season.
However, there is no smoke without fire, and Maignan came very close to leaving the Rossoneri and joining Chelsea during the pre-Club World Cup transfer window in early June, although the Blues failed to agree a cut-price fee. Interestingly, the Premier League giants did not return for the shot-stopper after the tournament, but it would be little surprise if they were eyeing a free transfer in the near future.
Ruben Neves was at the peak of his powers when he left Wolves to become of one of the early Saudi Pro League trailblazers by joining Al-Hilal in 2023 alongside a host of other big-name stars. After two influential seasons in the Gulf State, including a title-winning campaign in 2024-25, the midfielder already finds himself into the final 12 months of his contract, and there is currently little talk of a renewal for the 28-year-old.
There is still more than a week left of the Saudi transfer window, and the Portugal international has been loosely linked with a romantic return to his home country and boyhood club Porto, whom he captained aged just 18 after coming through the academy. Finances are said to be a stumbling block, but if Neves opts to run down the remainder of his contract in the Middle East instead of signing a renewal, a return to the Dragao could become much more likely, although he is sure to have interest from elsewhere, too.
An ever-present during Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid tenure, it seems Antonio Rudiger won’t be a guaranteed starter under tinkerer Xabi Alonso going forward after finishing the 2024-25 season with a six-game ban for throwing something at the referee in the acrimonious ending to the Copa del Rey final defeat to Barcelona, and subsequently undergoing knee surgery. At the age of 32, that means his future at Santiago Bernabeu probably isn’t secure.
Indeed, it has been claimed that Los Blancos have no plans to offer the Germany international a renewal, amid concerns over his form and long-term fitness, although conflicting reports suggest a one-year extension could be tabled. While he is believed to want to stay,a calamitous individual display in the Club World Cup semi-final rout by Paris Saint-Germain has reportedly done little to help his case, and he could find himself down the pecking order as he faces competition from new arrival Dean Huijsen, fit-again Eder Militao and the much younger Raul Asencio, while the aforementioned Konate could replace him directly.
Bernardo Silva has flirted with a Man City exit for years now, amid persistent links with both Barcelona and boyhood club Benfica, but the time may finally be nigh as he enters the final 12 months of his contract at the Etihad Stadium. One of Pep Guardiola’s most trusted lieutenants, the 31-year-old is no longer a guaranteed starter following a raft of recent younger, attacking signings, and it’s evident that his once wonderful powers are on the wane as he struggles to have the same kind of impact that made him one of the most dangerous and dynamic players in the Premier League.
Nevertheless, Silva still has plenty to offer in a slower-paced league where there is more emphasis on technical ability. This summer the Portugal international suggested he will finally leave City at the end of his contract after nine glittering years, saying: “I have one year on my contract so obviously I can leave next season.” An emotional return to Benfica would make sense, while it remains to be seen whether Barca would retain their interest given his age, although a free transfer will tempt the cash-strapped Catalans, while he is also said to have interest from Saudi Arabia.
You can’t shake the feeling that Dayot Upamecano has never quite fulfilled his significant potential at Bayern Munich, having once been considered to be capable of becoming one of the finest centre-backs on the planet. With that in mind, you might think that Bayern would be considering parting ways with the player when his contract expires in the summer, especially given their eye-watering wage bill, but it seems the Frenchman has done enough to convince them he’s worthy of an extension.
In fairness, Upamecano was much improved under legendary ex-Man City centre-back Kompany last season, and seems set to be a key part of their defence this time around. Both player and club are said to be partial to an extension, with a new contract running until 2030 being lined up for the 26-year-old. However, his salary demands are supposedly proving to be a hindrance. If the negotiations drag on, it’s said that Real Madrid and Manchester United could be ready to pounce, but this seems like a situation that will be resolved with both parties keen.
