The best footballers available on a free transfer in summer 2024

It’s now July so there are a whole raft of footballers without a club, though some will inevitable come off this list in the days ahead.

Here they are, ranked according to transfermarkt valuations…

1) Adrien Rabiot (Juventus)

Rabiot was all set to be a free agent last summer until he and his ma agreed to kick the can down the road with Juve for another year, presumably with a view to keep up the pretence he might one day join Manchester United. Talks are open over a two-year contract this time, with the midfielder “happy and proud to be here and to lead this team of young people”. Liverpool and AC Milan have been linked but Juventus are still expected to emerge as Rabiot’s choice.

2) Mario Hermoso (Atletico Madrid)

The centre-half has been linked with Manchester City, Nottingham Forest and Saudi Arabia at various points and it is difficult to think of more eclectic destinations.

3) Guido Rodriguez (Real Betis)

Liverpool, Milan and Napoli were said to have been eyeing up the Argentina midfielder, to whom Betis made a renewal offer but it has since ‘expired’, according to president Angel Haro. Barcelona and Leverkusen now seem to be battling for Rodriguez’s signature.

4) Raphael Varane (Manchester United)

The Frenchman has had an injury-riddled three seasons in Manchester and leaves with nobody quite knowing if it was a success. There has been talk of a return to Real Madrid, though there will be inevitable offers from Saudi Arabia and MLS. Serie A side Como are the latest club linked.

5) Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester)

A host of clubs were said to be keen on Ndidi last summer, from Nottingham Forest to Bayern Munich, while Barcelona have since been mentioned. The Nigeria midfielder may yet receive a satisfactory offer from Leicester now their Premier League future has been sealed, though an Everton switch feels more likely.

6) Che Adams (Southampton)

Everton, Bournemouth and Wolves were all keen on offering Adams an immediate return to the Premier League, with a fee of around £15million discussed. It seems that Wolves are even keener on a free transfer.

7) Alex Berenguer (Athletic Bilbao)
Brentford, Crystal Palace, Leicester and Wolves all want winger Berenguer, who might yet stay at Athletic after a solid season.

8) Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City)

Such are Leicester’s resources, the Nigerian striker played only half their Championship games and started ten of them. And yet plenty of Premier League teams would relish signing Iheanacho even as back-up, like Aston Villa for Ollie Watkins.

MORE ON THE 2024 TRANSFER WINDOW FROM F365

👉 The 20 biggest transfers in the world in the 2024 summer transfer window

👉 Ten Premier League summer 2024 transfers for £175.3m that everyone has already forgotten

9) Ryan Sessegnon (Spurs)
Some absolutely rotten injury luck meant Sessegnon made just one appearance in his final season at Spurs. In five campaigns he has played 57 games for the North London club so the risks in signing him are obvious, but there remains a brilliant player in there if those issues can be overcome.

10) Yusuf Yazici (Lille)
“I still have a lot of dreams in football. Of course, you can’t be insensitive to clubs like Milan. It’s Ronaldinho, it’s Beckham. We’ll see what the future has in store for me,” the 27-year-old said recently.

11) Andre Gomes (Everton)

The end of an unfathomably long era.

12) Memphis Depay (Atletico Madrid)
Another club, more brief signs of promise, but ultimately that same feeling of relative disappointment at an underwhelming spell. PSV, Manchester United, Lyon, Barcelona and Atletico is a brilliant career path but the standard of suitors will surely fall.

13) Anthony Martial (Manchester United)

As above. It will be genuinely intriguing to see where Martial lands after an inauspicious end to almost ten years at Old Trafford.

14) Thiago (Liverpool)
Five minutes of football in 2023/24 can be someone’s for what is likely to be exorbitant wages and a huge signing-on fee.

15) Bertrand Traore (Villarreal)
After mutually terminating his Aston Villa deal in February, Traore is already back to square one following an unconvincing few months in Spain.

16) Scott McKenna (Nottingham Forest)
The loan move to FC Copenhagen was a success but he seems more likely to land back in Scotland with Rangers or Celtic.

17) Nicolas Pepe (Trabzonspor)

The former Arsenal big-money signing lasted only a year and 23 games in Turkey.

18) Wissam Ben Yedder (Monaco)

A 16-goal Ligue Un season did not stop Monaco allowing Ben Yedder to leave. There are ongoing investigations into a rape case so he may be restricted to options in the Middle East.

19) Tanguy Ndombele (Tottenham)

Suffered the ultimate ignominy of being released early from his contract, even though two loan spells had reaped two titles in Italy and Turkey.

20) Joel Matip (Liverpool)

Such a good defender. But also, never fit. Lazio are among those clubs linked with the Cameroonian who became an Anfield hero.

READ NEXT: Liverpool’s big three in top 20 stars out of contract in 2025 headed by Bayern trio