Bargain deals available 

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As of today, July 1st, thousands of footballers became free agents, including some household names to put clubs on high alert. For the majority of major leagues across Europe, contracts end on June 30th, which means any player with deals ending in 2026 becomes free agents on the following day. It’s increasingly common for stars to run down their deals in modern football with the Bosman ruling in 1995 revolutionising contractual terms and handing more power to players, and agents.

Therefore, we’ve analysed the most valuable players without a club, who can be signed on free transfers and Transfermarkt’s unrivalled database has the full list on the link at the bottom of this paragraph – it will automatically update when players join new clubs. We’ve examined the top 20 most valuable free agents in closer detail with information accurate as of July 1st and there’s plenty of bargains available.

The top 20 most valuable free agents

The top 20 list is packed with elite footballers, many of them leaving some of Europe’s biggest clubs and top is Dušan Vlahović. The Serbian striker possesses a market value of €35m but departed Juventus after he couldn’t reach an agreement on new terms. Vlahović still has an offer on the table from the Serie A giants but he’s exploring his options with his representatives offering him to Real Madrid and Barcelona. As the graphic below illustrates, Harry Wilson ranks second but he’s accepted a deal with Leeds United and will be removed from the list imminently, when an announcement is made.

Mohamed Salah is unquestionably the most high-profile free agent with the Egyptian yet to make a decision on his future after leaving Liverpool. Jadon Sancho arrived at Manchester United as one of the most coveted talents in Europe but his return to England was a disaster and a third spell at Borussia Dortmund potentially awaits. Julian Brandt, John Stones, Leon Goretzka and Fabinho are some of the other famous names in the top 20 list.