£107M WORTH OF FORMER MAN UNITED TALENT, TOTTENHAM'S MOST EXPENSIVE SIGNING AND A £72M PREMIER LEAGUE FLOP - THE TOP NAMES AVAILABLE FOR FREE NOW THEIR CONTRACTS HAVE EXPIRED
- Many players in England and across Europe became free agents on June 30
- Among them are three players who previously joined Man United for big money
- LISTEN to It's All Kicking Off! EUROS DAILY: ‘Gareth Southgate will manage Man United one day’
Hundreds of players across Europe saw their contracts expire last week on June 30.
As a result, those players are now free agents and therefore available to be signed without the need for a transfer fee.
But who are the best freebies this summer? Mail Sport takes a look at some of the top footballers who are now officially without a club, starting with a five-time Champions League winner...
Raphael Varane
Raphael Varane has spent the majority of his career playing at giant clubs. After a decade at Real Madrid, he joined Man United for £34 million in 2021.
But the 31-year-old - who has won 21 trophies, including the 2018 World Cup with France - appears to be heading to Serie A to join new boys Como following his release by United.
Como, who are part-owned by Cesc Fabregas, played in front of an average home crowd of just over 6,000 fans last season.
Anthony Martial
Anthony Martial, 28, became an instant hit at Old Trafford when he scored a fine goal against Liverpool just minutes into his Manchester United debut following his £56m arrival in 2015.
He went on to net 71 goals across his first five seasons with United, but only added a further 19 in his final four campaigns in England.
United signed Martial from Monaco and a return to Ligue 1 could be on the cards, with Lyon and Marseille said to be interested. Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the USA's Major League Soccer are other possible destinations.
Adrien Rabiot
From one Frenchmen who has left Old Trafford to one who could potentially join Man United this summer - midfielder Adrien Rabiot, whose five-year spell with Juventus ended last week.
The 29-year-old - who has featured in all four of France's Euro 2024 games so far - is being linked with the Red Devils for a third successive summer. It is understood that Rabiot was United's top back-up option in case their attempts to land Mason Mount failed 12 months ago.
United are still said to be interested in Rabiot, but AC Milan and Liverpool are also reportedly keen.
Tanguy Ndombele
Tanguy Ndombele is still Tottenham Hotspur's most expensive signing ever following his £65 million arrival from Lyon in July 2019.
Ndombele's contract had been due to expire at the end of June next year but Spurs agreed with the midfielder to terminate his deal 12 months early.
The 27-year-old Frenchman made 91 first-team appearances for Spurs but none since January 2022. He was loaned out to Lyon, Napoli and Galatasaray over the past three seasons.
Dele Alli
Dele Alli recently left Everton after making just 13 Premier League appearances for the club. Had he reached 20 games then the Toffees would have owed former club Tottenham £10m.
The 28-year-old was once one of the highest-rated attacking midfielders in world football, peaking in the 2016-17 season when he netted 22 goals in 50 appearances for Spurs.
He has been capped 37 times by England, although his most recent international outing was back in 2019. However, Dele has publicly stated the he believes he can be a part of England's squad for the 2026 World Cup.
Alli is set to train with Everton for the forseeable future despite the expiry of his contract.
Memphis Depay
Memphis Depay left Atletico Madrid this summer after scoring 13 goals in 40 games for the Spanish outfit. Depay previously netted 14 times in 42 matches for Barcelona, after hitting 76 in 178 for Lyon.
Premier League fans may remember Depay from an underwhelming 53-game stint with Man United between 2015 and 2016 when he scored just seven goals after arriving in a £25m move from PSV Eindhoven.
The 30-year-old - who has scored 46 goals in 95 senior international appearances for the Netherlands - will decide his future after Euro 2024.
Thiago Alcantara
Thiago Alcantara, 33, won the UEFA Champions League with Barcelona and Bayern Munich in 2011 and 2020 respectively. He almost won it again in 2022 but his Liverpool side lost 1-0 to Real Madrid in the final.
That loss to Madrid was Thiago's 69th appearance for the Reds. The injury-hit midfielder only played another 29 matches for the Anfield outfit before leaving this summer.
Former manager Jurgen Klopp said when Thiago's departure was announced: 'Before he even came to Liverpool I believed that if you really love football it would make a lot of sense if you watched Thiago Alcantara play.'
Joel Matip
Joel Matip also left Liverpool this summer.
The 32-year-old centre back's last appearance for the club came in December when he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
However, Matip's Premier League career may not be over as Bournemouth and Southampton are both said to have him on their transfer short-lists.
Nicolas Pepe
Winger Nicolas Pepe was Arsenal's most expensive signing of all time when he arrived from Lille for a whopping fee of £72m in August 2019, although that record has since been broken by Declan Rice.
Pepe, 33, delivered 16 goals and nine assists in 80 Premier League games for the Gunners. But he last played for Arsenal in the 2021-22 season.
He spent the most recent season on loan at Trabzonspor, having been sent to Nice in the 2022-23 campaign.
Ryan Sessegnon
Ryan Sessegnon could well have been playing left back for England this summer had his promising career not been blighted by multiple injuries.
Like Ndombele, big things were expected of Sessegnon when he arrived at Tottenham in 2019. He cost Spurs a £25m transfer fee from Fulham, who had been reluctant sellers. However, in hindsight, the Cottagers probably got a pretty good deal. Sessegnon played just 57 games for Spurs, scoring three goals.
Sessegnon, still only 24, could be set to stay in London as West Ham are said to be considering making him an offer.
Other players whose contracts ended on June 30 include Wissam Ben Yedder, Mario Hermoso, Guido Rodriguez, Leandro Barreiro, Alex Berenguer, Kelechi Iheanacho and Andre Gomes.
The Premier League's summer transfer window is now open and will not close until August 30. However, free agents can be signed beyond that deadline.
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