Eight of the best out of contract Premier League players, including Paul Pogba and Christian Eriksen
- Cameron Loftus
- 30 June 2022
Some big names have been left without a contract for next month, with their deals at their current team due to expire on July 1.
There is no shortage of Premier League talent available for free this summer, with the likes of World Cup winner Paul Pogba and title winners Fernandinho and Divock Origi set to bid farewell to their current clubs.
Planet Sport looks at eight stars who will be free agents in the summer and assesses where they could end up.
Paul Pogba
The standout on the list, it seems not a day goes by without Pogba being linked with a move.
Pogba's second stint at Manchester United has certainly not produced the glory that he expected when rejoining from Juventus in 2016 for a then-world record fee of £89.3million.
Six years later, it appears the France international's most likely destination is a return to Juve, where he enjoyed his best club football, playing 178 times.
The most recent link to the Italian giants is a result of his latest hairstyle.
Pogba's barber Ahmed Alsanawl commented on the Man United player's photo on Instagram, saying '#pogback' with black and white emojis which represent the colours of Juventus.
Other European powerhouses Real Madrid and PSG have been linked with a move for Pogba, but his former club are seemingly in pole position.
Antonio Rudiger
Real Madrid have already captured one player on a pre-contract agreement in the form of Chelsea's defender Antonio Rudiger.
The centre-back has developed into one of the best defenders in the world and with the 29-year-old in his prime, Real Madrid have pulled off a massive coup.
Rudiger arrived at Chelsea from AS Roma in 2017 and has gone on to play over 200 times for the Blues and has become a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea were desperate to hang on to the German, but were unable to agree on a new contract and Rudiger is now set to play in Spain for the first time in his career.
Andreas Christensen
"We're losing him", Thomas Tuchel finally confirms on Andreas Christensen. The deal has been completed weeks ago with Barcelona, it's already signed: Danish centre back will play for Barça next season. 🔵🔴🤝 #FCB
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 16, 2022
Both Christensen and Kessié can be considered Barça players. pic.twitter.com/5DyvSgYKgG
Centre-backs are undoubtedly at the top of Chelsea's shopping list when their takeover is completed, with another leaving upon the expiration of his contract.
Danish defender Christensen has dropped down Thomas Tuchel's pecking order following the signing of the influential Thiago Silva and the emergence of Trevoh Chalobah and has opted to leave Stamford Bridge this summer.
Barcelona have been linked with the player as well as his Chelsea team-mate Marcos Alonso, with both believed to be close to sealing deals with the Spanish giants.
Jesse Lingard
Lingard only started two Premier League games this season and will leave his beloved Manchester United in June.
Suitors will be hoping to get the Lingard who scored nine goals and produced five assists in 16 games on loan for West Ham during the second half of the 2020/21 season.
Unsurprisingly, the Hammers are among the clubs jostling for his signature and will be able to offer him European football after finishing seventh. Cash-rich Newcastle are also in the mix.
Alexandre Lacazette
Signed from Lyon five years ago, Arsenal's number nine could be returning to his hometown club this summer.
The striker scored 71 goals in 206 matches for the Gunners and won a Player of the Season award as well as becoming the club captain.
In recent games, young striker Eddie Nketiah was preferred to Lacazette, and it is no secret that the Frenchman has been in talks with other clubs about a potential move.
Nketiah has shone, but while his contract is also due to expire in the summer, he is now expected to stay.
With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang already having been moved on, Arsenal are in the market for striking replacements, with Roma's Tammy Abraham and Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins two of the names linked with a move to the Etihad.
Fernandinho
Not even Pep Guardiola has been able to convince Man City's club captain to stay in Manchester for one more season. At the age of 37, the five-time Premier League winner seems set on a move back to his native Brazil, where he has not played club football since 2005.
Fernandinho will leave the Etihad with 264 appearances and 20 goals to his name.
The defensive midfielder, who has 53 caps for Brazil, is interesting a number of clubs in his home country, with his first-ever club, Athletico Paranaense, leading the way.
Christian Eriksen
The second Danish international on this list has made a remarkable return to football at the highest level following his medical scare at Euro 2020.
After it was confirmed he wouldn't be staying at Inter Milan, Eriksen trained with Brentford and was offered a contract until the end of the season by his fellow Dane Thomas Frank.
Since making his Bees debut in February, the creative midfielder has played 11 league games, helping the Premier League debutants finish the season with something of a flourish.
Brentford would love to secure the services of Eriksen permanently, but the player has made no secret of wanting to return to Champions League football. Former club Tottenham can offer him that, while Manchester United are reportedly interested.
Divock Origi
A hero to Liverpool fans, super sub Divock Origi will depart Anfield this summer with a move to AC Milan on the verge of completion.
A scorer of big goals, including the second against Tottenham in the 2019 Champions League final and a brace in the Reds' miraculous comeback against Barcelona 2018/19, Origi has a place in every Liverpool supporter's heart.
The striker has remained a bit-part player for Jurgen Klopp since joining the club in 2014 despite the Liverpool manager describing him as "our best finisher".
Just 16 league appearances have come across the past two seasons and he now looks set to try and establish himself in the AC Milan first team.
