The January transfer window was a relatively active one, especially in the Premier League, with a number of teams picking up strong additions as they look to secure a strong finish to the season.
Relegation-threatened Newcastle United, bankrolled by their Saudi Arabian owners, invested well by bringing in the likes of Kieran Trippier, Chris Wood, and Bruno Guimaraes and, in doing so, have greatly aided their attempts to avoid relegation.
Liverpool and Tottenham brought in players to push the pursuit of their respective goals, and Everton will hope that the addition of Dele Alli and Donny van de Beek can help steer them away from the drop zone.
Whatever the action in January, you can guarantee it will be trumped in the summer as a huge number of top-class players will be available on free transfers and will either stick with their current teams (if they make the right offer) or will instead look to complete moves that will see their salaries go through the roof on account of there not being a price to pay for their services.
Such moves will no doubt have a resultant effect on the betting on those teams, and that may well lead you to make the most of this Bet365 bonus code from Squawka.com, which could help maximise your payout for your chosen bet.
So, who is available for free this summer? Here is a selection of the biggest and best names that can be picked up for nothing, as well as some speculation as to where they may end up before the summer is over.
1. Antonio Rudiger (Chelsea)
The German international has been a consistent performer in the heart of Thomas Tuchel’s defence, and by all accounts, he is a player the Blues don’t want to lose. There is, however, growing interest from Spanish giants Real Madrid, and one wonders if the Stamford Bridge side will be able to keep the experienced defender from leaving.
A lot could depend on what the West London side manages to make of the current campaign. For instance, if they were to go far in the Champions League, perhaps even secure back-to-back titles, then he may be inclined to stick around.
2. Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
When it comes to free agents, they don’t get much bigger than the World Cup-winning forward Kylian Mbappe. The 23-year-old is clearly a wanted man and is another player who could be heading to the Bernabeu if recent ongoing reports are to be believed. The PSG man has racked up 131 goals in 157 appearances for the Ligue 1 side and may well be lining up a fresh challenge.
Clearly, there are only a finite number of clubs that would interest the former AS Monaco man as well as being able to meet his no doubt massive wage demands. A move to the Spanish capital does seem very likely indeed.
3. Paul Pogba (Man United)
Another World Cup winner, but unlike Mbappe, a player who is very much on the downward trend when it comes to attracting prospective suitors. The Man United midfielder started the season by laying on an incredible four assists in the first game of the season but has since then managed just seven Premier League starts.
He did bag his first goal of the season away at Burnley this month, but frankly, interest in the former Juventus man is waning, and one wonders if any major club is willing to take the calculated risk in signing the 28-year-old in the summer.
4. Jesse Lingard (Man United)
Lingard is a player that one must feel slightly sorry for. The long-serving Man United man had a superb spell on loan at West Ham last season and looked likely to make a permanent switch away from Old Trafford only to be told by successive managers that he had a part to play at the club; however, those promises have not been kept.
Now the 29-year-old cuts something of a forlorn figure, warming the bench or not making the matchday squad at all. Ralf Rangnick kept the England man from leaving in January and will hopefully give him a chance to prove himself in the German’s starting eleven. Thus far, he hasn’t started a single Premier League game this season.
5. Paulo Dybala (Juventus)
The Argentine international has started to emerge from the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo and has made a real impact under Massimiliano Allegri this season. However, the Turin giants may struggle to keep the 28-year-old at the club, especially if they don’t secure a finish in Serie A that gives them Champions League action.
Dybala’s run of good form has been central to the current run Juventus are on, and Allegri must try all he can to keep the player from leaving with the likes of Liverpool and Man United said to be circling.
6. Gareth Bale (Real Madrid)
You’d be forgiven for thinking that Gareth Bale’s sporting future may lie in golf and not football, such has been the paucity of his action of late, but nonetheless, the wily winger is certainly a player on the wish-list of many top clubs for this summer.
The former Tottenham man has been back in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad in recent weeks and still has a season or two in the tank, and by all accounts, a move back to Spurs is a distinct possibility. One imagines the arrival of Antonio Conte at the club helps make such a move more palatable, but the North London side would need to have Champions League football to offer the Welsh international.
7. Luis Suarez (Atletico Madrid)
Barcelona, rather clumsily, let the Uruguayan international leave (and did so in a fairly disrespectful manner), and the prolific striker proceeded to play a huge part in helping Atletico Madrid to the La Liga title. He scored 21 league goals in the club’s championship-winning season and can leave on a free transfer in the summer if he so desires.
Some stories in the media have linked Suarez with a potential return to the Premier League to join Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa, where Philipp Coutinho has shown up, but that move seems incredibly unlikely. We think in this instance, Diego Simeone will persuade the 35-year-old to stay at the Wanda Metropolitano for another season.