The best free agents in the summer of 2026

The summer transfer window of 2026 will bring a number of big names to the football market, who for various reasons have been left without a club. Among the free agents are both experienced veterans who have won major trophies, and players capable of strengthening teams from top championships today.

We have compiled a symbolic team of free agents for 2026, including the best players without a contract for each position. This rating includes the most famous footballers without a club, who continue to look for a new team and remain some of the most discussed figures in the transfer market.

Goalkeepers

Yann Sommer (Inter)

Age: 37 years

Played for Inter: since 2023

Statistics in the 2025/2026 season: 43 matches, 42 goals conceded (0.98 on average per game), 19 clean sheets

Possible move to: Ajax

The Swiss goalkeeper is still capable of performing at the highest level. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Sommer wants to play at least two more seasons before retiring. Ajax is likely to sign Yann this summer, with him taking the role of the first-choice goalkeeper.

Backup: Illan Meslier. The main goalkeeper of Leeds turned out to be unnecessary for the English club. The Frenchman lost the battle not only to the purchased Lucas Perri, but also to 35-year-old Karl Darlow. One of the options for the summer is a move to the Turkish championship.

Defenders

Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool)

Age: 27 years

Played for Liverpool: since 2021

Statistics in the 2025/2026 season: 51 matches, 2 goals

Moved to: Real Madrid

Konate's move to Real Madrid as a free agent was finalized the day before. In Spain, he was offered a four-year contract. The Frenchman's salary will reportedly not suffer either. A real strengthening of the defense center and a big loss for Liverpool – in five years in England, Ibrahima won five trophies.

John Stones (Manchester City)

Age: 32 years

Played for Manchester City: since 2016

Statistics in the 2025/2026 season: 18 matches

Possible move to: Tottenham, Napoli, Marseille, Bayern Munich, Juventus

A Manchester City legend, Stones developed as a player in the English club – he has been playing for the Citizens since he was 22. The defender has won everything possible – the Champions League, the Club World Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, and all domestic trophies. Stones has a total of 19 titles, although he was almost never a regular, playing about 30 matches per season on average.

Andreas Christensen (Barcelona)

Age: 30 years

Played for Barcelona: since 2022

Statistics in the 2025/2026 season: 18 matches, 1 goal

The Dane moved to Spain four years ago.years ago as a free agent, but already a fully formed footballer. However, his stint at Barcelona cannot be called a bright one. Despite a stable number of 50+ games for the Catalan club in a season, Christensen only once played more than 35 matches, and the season before last he spent more time recovering from injuries than playing. Insiders don't even have information about Andreas's future yet.

Substitute: Malang Sarr. The most expensive, according to Transfermarkt, free agent among defenders. Sarr, who didn't quite fit in at Chelsea, returned to France and became part of Lens, which made noise both in the championship and in the country's Cup. However, it seems that the peak period of his career is over: the media are discussing Malang's contract with Fenerbahce.

Midfielders

Leon Goretzka (Bayern)

Age: 31 years

Played for Bayern: since 2018

Statistics in the 2025/2026 season: 48 matches, 5 goals, 5 assists

Possible move to: Chicago Fire, Milan, Juventus, Napoli

Goretzka almost immediately after moving to the Munich club became a key midfielder and deservedly won 16 trophies with Bayern, remaining an important part of Germany's midfield. Now Leon has two paths – MLS, where, according to the New York Times, he is already awaited in Chicago, or the Italian Serie A.

Casemiro (Manchester United)

Age: 34 years

Played for Manchester United: since 2022

Statistics in the 2025/2026 season: 35 matches, 9 goals, 2 assists

Possible move to: Inter Miami, Sao Paulo, Los Angeles Galaxy, Al Ittihad

In 2022, Manchester United paid Real Madrid 70 million euros to strengthen the midfield and overall results. And if Casemiro coped with the first task, the revival of the legendary club is still postponed, although the results at the end of the past season inspire optimism among fans. Casemiro himself, judging by the insiders in the press, is preparing for the twilight of his career – his agents are receiving offers from the USA, Saudi Arabia, and Brazil.

Julian Brandt (Borussia Dortmund)

Age: 30 years

Played for Borussia Dortmund: since 2019

Statistics in the 2025/2026 season: 41 matches, 11 goals, 4 assists

Possible move to: AS Roma, Galatasaray, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen

It's surprising that Brandt does not fit into Dortmund's future plans. Last season, Julian became the club's third top scorer in the Bundesliga, although he is not a forward by profile. Either way, top clubs in Italy, Spain are ready to welcome Brandt with open arms in Europe. And surely there are those on the domestic scene who can meet the German's demands.

Franck Kessie (Al Ahli)

Age: 29 years

Played for Al Ahli: since 2023

Statistics for the 2025/2026 season: 42 matches, 12 goals, 6 assists

Potential transfer to: Juventus, Inter

We would like to believe that the Ivorian's appetite hasn't grown significantly during his three years in Saudi Arabia. The midfielder is still at an age where he could agree to a two-year or three-year contract with a top club. Kessie, according to Tuttosport, has been of interest to Juventus and Inter since spring. Both clubs are well acquainted with prime Frank, who played in Italy until 2022.

Backup: Yves Bissouma. The Malian defensive midfielder's value and quality dropped significantly last season – five injuries and only 11 appearances for Tottenham didn't help. Yves, in his current state, wasn't needed by the Londoners, but Valencia and Celta are actively courting him in Spain.

Forwards

Neymar (Santos)

Age: 34 years

Played for Santos: since 2025

Statistics for the 2026 season: 15 matches, 6 goals, 4 assists

Potential transfer to: Cincinnati, Atlas Guadalajara

Neymar is here because of his big name. In reality, no top club would risk signing an aging star with a long list of injuries for crazy money. But the Brazilian is definitely not going to retire, and if he can make some noise at the World Cup, he can comfortably stay in MLS with a contract that includes a large salary and bonuses. An alternative would be to sign for another half year with Santos to finish the season with his home club.

Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)

Age: 37 years

Played for Barcelona: since 2022

Statistics for the 2025/2026 season: 46 matches, 19 goals, 4 assists

Potential transfer to: Chicago Fire, Fenerbahce, Porto, Manchester United, Juventus, Liverpool

Will the Polish forward play another year in top clubs? Or is it time to move to the USA or Turkey for a higher salary? Lewandowski's statistics are on par with many players who are not even 30 yet. With proper use, the striker can consistently deliver his 15+ goals per season without extra effort. After Barcelona, he will probably have to take a pay cut, but it's really worth it. He can move to MLS next summer.

Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus)

Age: 26 years

Played for Juventus: since 2022

Statistics for the 2025/2026 season: 23 matches, 10 goals, 2 assists

Potential transfer to: Chelsea, Manchester United

The most expensive free agent this summer. The Serbian striker objectively didn't fulfill his potential at Juventus. After leaving Fiorentina, Vlahovic's transfer value dropped by two and a half times, and his productivity indicators – by 12%. Even with not the most stable seasons,The forward had been scoring 10+ goals in the championship – but the 2025/2026 campaign clearly removed all questions about whether the Turin team needed to extend the Serbian's contract – Vlahovic spent almost half a year in treatment, not playing.

Substitute: Memphis Depay. Will the Dutchman return to Europe? The 2026 World Cup may be his last chance to remind top European clubs about himself. Depay is only 32 years old – he played a little at Corinthians, but his average performance indicators did not fall below 0.45 effective actions per game until this year.

Despite their free agent status, many footballers from this symbolic team are still capable of performing at a high level and strengthening clubs from leading championships. The transfer market remains unpredictable, so some players from the list may quickly find a new team, while others risk being without a contract until the end of the year.