Top XI worth €540 million
Since January 1, footballers with contracts expiring on June 30, 2022, can officially negotiate with interested clubs and even sign contracts – this time, the list of players who are supposedly available for free is very prestigious: Paul Pogba (Man United), Paulo Dybala (Juventus), Ousmane Dembélé (Barça), Antonio Rüdiger (Chelsea) and in Kylian Mbappé (PSG) even the most valuable footballer in the world is on it.
Dembélé & Co. – The most valuable players with contracts expiring in 2022
Todd Cantwell (Norwich) – Market value: €20M
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Jason Denayer (Olympique Lyon) – Market value: €20M
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Alessio Romagnoli (AC Milan) – Market value: €20M
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Jesse Lingard (Manchester United) – Market value: €20M
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Alexandre Lacazette (Arsenal) – Market value: €20M
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James Tarkowski (Burnley) – Market value: €22M
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Jesús Corona (FC Porto) – Market value: €22M
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Remo Freuler (Atalanta) – Market value: €24M
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Matthias Ginter (Borussia M’gladbach) – Market value: €25M
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Boubacar Kamara (Olympique Marseille) – Market value: €25M
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Sardar Azmoun (Zenit St. Petersburg) – Market value: €25M
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Denis Zakaria (Borussia M’gladbach) – Market value: €27M
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Andrea Belotti (Torino) – Market value: €28M
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Ousmane Dembélé (FC Barcelona) – Market value: €30M
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Andreas Christensen (Chelsea) – Market value: €35M
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Antonio Rüdiger (Chelsea) – Market value: €35M
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Niklas Süle (Bayern Munich) – Market value: €35M
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Lorenzo Insigne (SSC Napoli) – Market value: €35M
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Marcelo Brozovic (Inter Milan) – Market value: €40M
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Franck Kessié (AC Milan) – Market value: €48M
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Paulo Dybala (Juventus) – Market value: €50M
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Paul Pogba (Manchester United) – Market value: €55M
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Kylian Mbappé (Paris Saint-Germain) – Market value: €160M
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However, the fact that clubs can sign these players for free is a fairy tale. Top players who move on without a transfer fee come with a high price tag, because in addition to agent fees and signing-on fees, they are in a very good position when it comes to negotiating the salary with their new employers.
Rüdiger, for example, has been courted by Chelsea for months, but to date the Blues have not offered him the amount he wants – meanwhile, rumours about Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are gathering pace. Covid-19 has made sure that money is shorter even at big clubs and so many decided not to extend the contract of one or the other player in the summer of 2020, because the situation was too uncertain with empty stadiums and missing income.
It was simply too high a risk to give player X a new 5-year contract including a pay rise, because no one knew what would happen next. Many of these footballers are now on the market and there will probably be numerous exciting salary negotiations – with the current club not wanting to be held to ransom with the threat of a departure on a free transfer. And the interested clubs, who will have to ponder how far they will go to get the free agent off the market without blowing up their own salary structure.
Pogba, Rüdiger & Co.
Most valuable players with contracts expiring in 2022
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There is also a risk of missing out on a good ooportunity in this game – a problem Mbappé will not have. At a certain level, you can choose your club, as Lionel Messi did last summer when he moved from FC Barcelona to PSG. The fact that the biggest names among free agents almost all end up at the same club, as in 2021, is unlikely to happen in 2022, as PSG will not be able to strike again in such a way.
While the trend for Dybala or Andreas Christensen (Chelsea), for example, is toward a contract extension, in the case of Mbappé, Franck Kessié (AC Milan), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Jesús Corona (Porto) or Alexandre Lacazette (Arsenal), many things point to a departure. Gladbach’s Matthias Ginter and Denis Zakaria already provided clarity and will leave Borussia in the summer of 2022, while it is unclear what happens with Rüdiger and Niklas Süle (Bayern Munich), among others.
Messi, Beckham & Co. – The most valuable free transfers in history
45 Ruud van Nistelrooy – 2010 – Market Value: €16M
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Real Madrid to Hamburg
44 Goran Pandev – 2010 – Market Value: €16M
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Lazio to Inter
43 Ryan Fraser – 2020 – Market Value: €17.5M
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Bournemouth to Newcastle
42 Max Meyer – 2018 – Market Value: €18M
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Schalke to Crystal Palace
41 Mark Uth – 2018 – Market Value: €18M
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Hoffenheim to Schalke
40 Joel Matip – 2016 – Market Value: €18M
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Schalke to Liverpool
39 Maxi Rodríguez – 2010 – Market Value: €18M
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Atlético to Liverpool
38 David Beckham – 2007 – Market value: €19.8M
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Real Madrid to LA Galaxy
37 Edinson Cavani – 2020 – Market Value: €20M
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PSG to Manchester United
36 Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 2020 – Market value: €20M
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Arsenal to Roma
35 Dani Parejo – 2020 – Market value: €20M
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Valencia to Villarreal
34 Mario Balotelli – 2019 – Market value: €20M
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Marseille to Brescia
33 Diego Godín – 2019 – Market value: €20M
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Atlético to Inter
32 Mario Balotelli – 2019 – Market value: €20M
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Nice to Marseille
31 Jack Wilshere – 2018 – Market value: €20M
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Arsenal to West Ham
30 Yevgen Konoplyanka – 2015 – Market value: €20M
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Dnipro to Sevilla
29 Sami Khedira – 2015 – Market value: €20M
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Real Madrid to Juventus
28 Keisuke Honda – 2014 – Market value: €20M
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CSKA Moscow to Milan
27 Fernando Llorente – 2013 – Market value: €20M
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Athletic Club to Juventus
26 Michael Ballack – 2010 – Market value: €20M
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Chelsea to Leverkusen
25 Luis Figo – 2005 – Market value: €20M
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Real Madrid to Inter
24 Serge Aurier – 2021 – Market value: €20M
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Tottenham to Villarreal
23 Yacine Brahimi – 2019 – Market value: €21M
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Porto to Al Rayyan
22 Joe Cole – 2010 – Market value: €21M
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Chelsea to Liverpool
21 Héctor Herrera – 2019 – Market value: €22M
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Porto to Atlético
20 Samuel Eto’o – 2013 – Market value: €22M
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Anzhi to Chelsea
19 Willian – 2020 – Market value: €22.5M
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Chelsea to Arsenal
18 Thomas Meunier – 2020 – Market value: €24M
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PSG to Borussia Dortmund
17 Sergio Agüero – 2021 – Market value: €25M
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Manchester City to Barcelona
16 Ander Herrera – 2019 – Market value: €25M
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Manchester United to PSG
15 Georginio Wijnaldum – 2021 – Market value: €30M
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Liverpool to PSG
14 Santi Mina – 2019 – Market value: €30M
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Valencia to Vigo
13 Emre Can – 2018 – Market value: €30M
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Liverpool to Juventus
12 James Rodríguez – 2020 – Market value: €32M
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Real Madrid to Everton
11 Adrien Rabiot – 2019 – Market value: €35M
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PSG to Juventus
10 Michael Ballack – 2006 – Market value: €35M
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Bayern Munich to Chelsea
9 Hakan Calhanoglu – 2021 – Market value: €35M
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AC Milan to Inter Milan
8 Aaron Ramsey – 2019 – Market value: €40M
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Arsenal to Juventus
7 Leon Goretzka – 2018 – Market value: €40M
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Schalke to Bayern Munich
6 Stefan de Vrij – 2018 – Market value: €40M
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Lazio to Inter
5 Memphis Depay – 2021 – Market value: €45M
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Olympique Lyon to Barcelona
4 Robert Lewandowski – 2014 – Market value: €50M
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Borussia Dortmund to Bayern Munich
3 David Alaba – 2021 – Market value: €55M
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Bayern Munich to Real Madrid
2 Gianluigi Donnarumma – 2021 – Market value: €60M
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AC Milan to PSG
1 Lionel Messi 2021 – Market value: €80M
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Barcelona to PSG
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