With the summer transfer window set to officially open Friday, we’re teeing up the wheeling and dealing by presenting 50 high-profile players who could be on the move in the coming months. Stay tuned for our rundown of the best impending free agents next week.
Transfer window details
| Country | Window Open | Deadline Day |
|---|---|---|
| England | June 10 | Sept. 1 |
| Spain | July 1 | Sept. 1 |
| Germany | July 1 | Sept. 1 |
| Italy | July 1 | Aug. 31 |
| France | July 1 | Aug. 31 |
Note: Estimated transfer values provided by transfermarkt.com.
Premier League
Marc Cucurella (Brighton & Hove Albion)
Age: 23 | Position: Left-back | Estimated value: €20M
Cucurella played more league minutes (3,089) during his debut season at Brighton than any outfield player. Potential suitors, including Manchester City, clearly appreciated what they saw from the follically endowed Spaniard.
Armando Broja (Chelsea)
Age: 20 | Position: Striker | Estimated value: €18M
Broja is another gem from Chelsea’s infamous “loan army.” He turned plenty of heads with an impressive 2021-22 campaign at Southampton, and the Blues now have a tough decision to make with numerous interested clubs circling.
Jorginho (Chelsea)
Age: 30 | Position: Central midfielder | Estimated value: €45M
Having fallen from the heights of being a Ballon d’Or finalist in 2021, Jorginho is entering the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge. The Italian international could be tempted by a move back to Serie A this summer.
Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea)
Age: 29 | Position: Striker | Estimated value: €85M
Despite ending his first season back in west London as Chelsea’s top scorer in all competitions, Lukaku’s club-record €115-million return was a letdown. Now, a sensational loan move back to Inter Milan is being touted.
Richarlison (Everton)
Age: 25 | Position: Forward | Estimated value: €50M
After narrowly avoiding relegation, Everton could help fund a significant rebuild by selling their unique Brazilian attacker. Richarlison racked up a team-leading 10 Premier League goals for the Toffees this past season.
Raphinha (Leeds United)
Age: 25 | Position: Winger | Estimated value: €45M
Had Leeds fallen into the Championship, Raphinha’s departure would’ve been a foregone conclusion. Their top-flight survival makes the dynamic winger’s situation hazy, though. Can cash-poor Barcelona afford him?
Kalvin Phillips (Leeds United)
Age: 26 | Position: Central midfielder | Estimated value: €50M
England’s biggest clubs have had Phillips on their radar for quite some time. Manchester City and Liverpool, the nation’s two best teams, are monitoring the tactically astute midfielder. A possible Fernandinho replacement, perhaps?
Youri Tielemans (Leicester City)
Age: 25 | Position: Central midfielder | Estimated value: €55M
Tielemans has long been linked with a move to Arsenal. The silky Belgian midfielder is approaching the final year of his contract and seemingly unwilling to ink an extension, so this summer could be the Gunners’ best chance to strike.
Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
Age: 30 | Position: Forward | Estimated value: €80M
This is one of the marquee transfer storylines to watch in the coming weeks – and possibly months. Mane wants to leave Liverpool – he’s been suggesting as much publicly – and Bayern Munich are in negotiations over a big move.
Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City)
Age: 25 | Position: Forward | Estimated value: €50M
Erling Haaland’s impending switch to Manchester City will have a huge cumulative effect on the market. The most obvious domino could be Jesus’ departure from the Premier League champions.
Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
Age: 27 | Position: Winger | Estimated value: €85M
Sterling is another player whose current contract expires in 2023. After garnering the fewest minutes of his Manchester City career since his debut season with the club, this may be the time for the English international to seek a move.
Anthony Martial (Manchester United)
Age: 26 | Position: Forward | Estimated value: €16M
A loan spell at Sevilla didn’t quite provide the “new atmosphere” Martial was looking for after sealing his desired move away from Manchester United. He’ll now return to Old Trafford, but he’s a prime candidate for a permanent transfer.
Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
Age: 24 | Position: Forward | Estimated value: €70M
One of the most intriguing players to monitor this summer is Rashford. He’s young and extremely talented but coming off a despondent season marred by injury and poor form.
Declan Rice (West Ham United)
Age: 23 | Position: Central midfielder | Estimated value: €75M
Rice is West Ham’s prized asset. A contract until 2024 – with a club option for an additional year – puts the Hammers in an exceedingly strong position here. Any interested clubs will need to pony up serious cash to acquire him.
La Liga
Alvaro Morata (Atletico Madrid)
Age: 29 | Position: Forward | Estimated value: €25M
Morata’s future is unclear now that his two-year loan spell at Juventus is up. The Italian club can make the move permanent but want a discount on that €35-million option. Atletico are unwilling to budge. This could drag on for a while.
Renan Lodi (Atletico Madrid)
Age: 24 | Position: Left-back | Estimated value: €30M
Nouveau-riche Newcastle are making serious overtures here. The Brazilian would instantly provide a significant upgrade on the Magpies’ current options at left-back and could kickstart a busy summer for Eddie Howe’s team.
Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona)
Age: 25 | Position: Central midfielder | Estimated value: €60M
The mere thought of selling De Jong would be ludicrous if it weren’t for Barcelona’s ruinous financial state. However, the club needs cash to fund other signings. Whether the Dutchman will be open to leaving is another matter, though.
Marco Asensio (Real Madrid)
Age: 26 | Position: Winger | Estimated value: €60M
Once one of the game’s most exciting young attackers, serious injuries have relegated Asensio to a bench role at Real Madrid. The Spaniard wants more “regularity” with his playing time, but he likely needs to move elsewhere to find it.
Alexander Isak (Real Sociedad)
Age: 22 | Position: Striker | Estimated value: €30M
Despite the 22-year-old being in the formative years of his career, Isak’s name has been a permanent fixture of recent transfer windows. With Haaland and Kylian Mbappe off the board, the skillful Swede will be in the spotlight again.
Jules Kounde (Sevilla)
Age: 23 | Position: Center-back | Estimated value: €60M
Now that Chelsea’s ownership saga is in the rearview, the Blues can fully pursue longtime target Kounde. The French defender would fill an obvious need with Antonio Rudiger already gone and Andreas Christensen likely to follow.
Carlos Soler (Valencia)
Age: 25 | Position: Central midfielder | Estimated value: €50M
Former president Anil Murthy may be out of the picture, but after spending his entire senior career to date at his hometown team, the time may be right for Soler to look elsewhere and leave the volatile club.
Pau Torres (Villarreal)
Age: 25 | Position: Center-back | Estimated value: €50M
A deep Champions League run helped many throughout European football recognize what those in Spain already knew: Torres can be the anchor around which a top-notch defense is built. Tottenham Hotspur are circling.
Serie A
Nicolo Zaniolo (AS Roma)
Age: 22 | Position: Forward | Estimated value: €33M
After two significant knee injuries, Zaniolo looked to once again be approaching his explosive, powerful best near the end of the season. Roma will fight hard to retain the scorer of the Conference League-winning goal.
Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan)
Age: 23 | Position: Center-back | Estimated value: €60M
Bastoni, the future pillar of Italy’s backline, is the prototypical modern defender, equally comfortable carrying the ball as he is winning it back. A left-footed center-back is also one of the most coveted profiles in the sport.
Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
Age: 24 | Position: Striker | Estimated value: €75M
Inter apparently have hopes of landing both Lukaku and Paulo Dybala this summer. Making that happen will likely require sacrificing Martinez, who blossomed and led the Nerazzurri in scoring this past season.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Lazio)
Age: 27 | Position: Central midfielder | Estimated value: €70M
Maybe this is the window when the seemingly endless Milinkovic-Savic rumors finally result in an actual transfer. At his best, the imposing Serbian is a game-breaking talent who blends physicality and nimble skill on the ball.
Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli)
Age: 30 | Position: Center-back | Estimated value: €35M
A dominant force since arriving in Italy in 2014, Koulibaly remains an elite defensive presence for Napoli. So far, the club has withstood repeated efforts from some of Europe’s top teams to sign the Senegalese star.
Victor Osimhen (Napoli)
Age: 23 | Position: Striker | Estimated value: €65M
Osimhen is quickly becoming one of the most exhilarating strikers to watch in Europe. Lethal inside the penalty area and boasting blistering pace, he seems destined for a gargantuan transfer, perhaps to England, sometime soon.
Gianluca Scamacca (Sassuolo)
Age: 23 | Position: Striker | Estimated value: €30M
Scamacca broke out in a big way in 2021-22, scoring 16 goals as the focal point of Sassuolo’s attack. The tattooed Italian is a handful for defenders with his angular frame and combativeness, and he has a penchant for the spectacular.
Gleison Bremer (Torino)
Age: 25 | Position: Center-back | Estimated value: €35M
He may not be a household name just yet, but there’s a real argument that Bremer was the best defender in Italy this past season, full stop. Inter are moving quickly to try and secure his signature.
Bundesliga
Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich)
Age: 26 | Position: Winger | Estimated value: €70M
The elephant-sized saga in Bavaria has largely overshadowed Gnabry’s future. Still, Bayern would be wise to keep hold of the German international who has hit double figures in scoring in every season with the club.
Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Age: 33 | Position: Striker | Estimated value: €50M
The biggest storyline of the window is also the summer’s most bitter feud. Lewandowski has made it abundantly clear that he wants to leave Bayern Munich, with Barcelona his desired destination, much to the club’s chagrin.
Manuel Akanji (Borussia Dortmund)
Age: 26 | Position: Center-back | Estimated value: €30M
Signing Niklas Sule and Nico Schlotterbeck could push Akanji toward the exit at Dortmund. The Swiss international, likely available for a reasonable sum, could turn into a prime opportunity for a club needing defensive help.
Filip Kostic (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Age: 29 | Position: Winger | Estimated value: €20M
Fresh off a starring role in Frankfurt’s Europa League triumph, Kostic is on several clubs’ radar. The Serbian wide player is a cerebral – and persistent – crosser of the ball and a dream for any center forward to play with.
Josko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig)
Age: 20 | Position: Center-back | Estimated value: €30M
Whether this summer or in the near future, Croatia’s Gvardiol looks set to follow in the footsteps of former Leipzig defenders Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konate in securing a big-money move.
Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig)
Age: 24 | Position: Attacking midfielder | Estimated value: €65M
No player raised his stock more in the last year than Nkunku. The Frenchman lit up every competition he touched, recording 35 goals and 16 assists. PSG, who let him get away in 2019 for peanuts, would love a mulligan.
Ligue 1
Benoit Badiashile (AS Monaco)
Age: 21 | Position: Center-back | Estimated value: €30M
The vaunted Monaco pipeline keeps producing. Badiashile, after an impressive season in the principality, has been touted as a possible Giorgio Chiellini replacement at Juventus. He has Premier League suitors aplenty, too.
Aurelian Tchouameni (AS Monaco)
Age: 22 | Position: Central midfielder | Estimated value: €60M
Speaking of that conveyor belt. Tchouameni is reportedly on the verge of a colossal €100-million move to Real Madrid, who faced competition from PSG and Liverpool for a player tabbed as France’s next generational midfielder.
Sven Botman (Lille)
Age: 22 | Position: Center-back | Estimated value: €30M
AC Milan and Newcastle have been engaged in a tug-of-war for Botman’s signature since at least January. The race to sign the defender continues to ebb and flow, with the English side believed to have grabbed the upper hand.
Jonathan David (Lille)
Age: 22 | Position: Striker | Estimated value: €45M
His scoring exploits for both Lille and Canada have generated a buzz, particularly in the Premier League. David was a key reason the Canadians finally ended their lengthy World Cup drought this year.
Renato Sanches (Lille)
Age: 24 | Position: Central midfielder | Estimated value: €28M
Sanches is back on track after an untimely move to Bayern Munich – and a pit stop at Swansea City – threatened to derail his burgeoning career. He appears to be on the verge of joining AC Milan, where his uptempo style will fit right in.
Lucas Paqueta (Lyon)
Age: 24 | Position: Attacking midfielder | Estimated value: €35M
Newcastle already made one big splash by signing a talented Brazilian midfielder from Lyon. The club could try to recreate that same formula this summer by reuniting Bruno Guimaraes with compatriot and friend Paqueta.
Jeremy Doku (Rennes)
Age: 20 | Position: Winger | Estimated value: €20M
There may not be a player anywhere with a more rapid first step than Doku, who, at 20 years old, still has plenty of room to grow. You only need to watch him torment defenders in wide positions to know why Liverpool are interested.
Elsewhere in Europe (and beyond)
Ryan Gravenberch (Ajax)
Age: 20 | Position: Central midfielder | Estimated value: €35M
Bayern Munich have seemingly beaten strong competition from several clubs to sign Gravenberch, the smooth Dutch midfielder who’s garnered comparisons to Paul Pogba in the past. High praise, indeed.
Jurrien Timber (Ajax)
Age: 20 | Position: Center-back | Estimated value: €30M
Whenever a coach leaves one club for another, the rumor mill quickly roars into action speculating about the players who could follow along for the ride. Timber is exactly that player for new Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag.
Darwin Nunez (Benfica)
Age: 22 | Position: Striker | Estimated value: €55M
Benfica will be fielding a ton of calls in the coming weeks from clubs that missed out on the Haaland sweepstakes. Mobile and robust, Uruguayan international Nunez found the net with stunning frequency this past season.
Djed Spence (Middlesbrough)
Age: 21 | Position: Right-back | Estimated value: €8M
Spence was one of the standout performers who helped Nottingham Forest earn promotion to the Premier League. His loan spell at Forest may be over, but he’ll almost definitely be in England’s top flight next season regardless.
Valentin Castellanos (New York City FC)
Age: 23 | Position: Striker | Estimated value: €12M
Castellanos was expected to make his big move prior to the start of the MLS season, but nothing materialized to the surprise of many. The reigning Golden Boot winner will garner plenty of interest again this summer, though.
Ibrahim Sangare (PSV Eindhoven)
Age: 24 | Position: Defensive midfielder | Estimated value: €16M
Sangare is a colossus in midfield. He made more tackles and interceptions combined (169) than any player in the Eredivisie this past season. He’ll make his new defensive teammates, whoever they are, extremely happy.
Enzo Fernandez (River Plate)
Age: 21 | Position: Central midfielder | Estimated value: €15M
An all-action box-to-box presence, Fernandez is lightning in a bottle. He can progress the ball from deep midfield areas with an extensive passing range or dribble out of pressure himself. He’s the latest gem to come out of El Monumental.
