'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The 2021-22 Premier League season is almost over. The title race, relegation battle and the top-four race are all still yet to be decided. Many players have come into the English top flight this season and have impressed.
However, several Premier League players could leave their respective clubs on a free transfer at the end of the season. Come June 30, players with expired contracts will be free to join another club without a transfer fee. Let's take a look at every Premier League clubs' players who are out of contract.
Free agents at every Premier League club this summer
Arsenal
Arsenal have three players whose contracts expire at the end of the season - Alexandre Lacazette, Eddie Nketiah and Mohamed Elneny.
Nketiah has been offered a new contract at the club. However, for the time being, his only focus is to finish the season strongly and then assess his options. He has attracted interest from other clubs in the Premier League and abroad.
“There have been talks and offers of a new contract, but my aim is to play football and play regularly,” Nketiah admitted during a recent appearance on the The Beautiful Game podcast.
He added:
“I love Arsenal, so I just want to focus on the season and make sure I finish in a good way and then sit down and see what the best opportunity is to allow me to take those steps and develop.”
As for Lacazette and Elneny, their situations are still uncertain. Lacazette dropped a hint that he would want to play for a side in the Champions League; that could well be the case with Arsenal.
Lacazette told Canal Plus:
"I'm in discussion with a lot of clubs, I'm open. I never cut contact with Lyon since I left. Now Lyon know that I'm free, they've come by the information. It's a bit more complicated. I want to play in Europe. It's been a long time since I've played in the Champions League, I miss it. Nothing is impossible in life, but it's a bit more complicated."
For Elneny, talks have begun with the player over a new contract. The Athletic reports that Arsenal are determined to keep hold of the midfielder and that the negotiations are in the initial stages.
Aston Villa
Ashley Young and Conor Hourihane are the two players out of contract at Aston Villa.
Young joined Villa last year and was handed a one-year contract. He is keen to stay at the Premier League club for another year.
Villa manager Steven Gerrard recently said on Young's contract:
“There have already been discussions. I've made it clear to Ash that I want him to stay around. The key to this will always be the player. He has to be happy, want to stay, negotiate and have his people connect to the club. There's still a lot to discuss moving forward and there's no rush but I'll make it clear that we're very happy with him.”
Hourihane's time at Aston Villa is up. He will have to look at his options when his loan deal with Sheffield United ends.
Brentford
Perhaps the most notable name on the list for Brentford is Christian Eriksen. He joined the club in the January transfer window on an initial six-month contract and has played a decisive role in taking Brentford out of the relegation spot.
Manager Thomas Frank wants the Danish international to stay. As The Times reported, Brendford are yet to make a formal offer but are keen to extend his stay at the club. However, he has attracted interest from other Premier League clubs.
Julian Jeanvier and Mathias ‘Zanka’ Jorgensen are the other two players out of contract at the end of the season.
The former has not played competitive football since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in October 2020. Meanwhile, the latter has had his fair share of injuries to deal with. Both players have the option to extend their contract by one year.
Brighton & Hove Albion
Six players are out of contract at Brighton in the summer.
Although Danny Welbeck's contract expires at the end of the season, there are options in the contract for both parties. He could well be at the Premier League club for a third season.
Graham Potter wants to keep Pascal Gross at the club for the sixth season, but he would want a contract of more than a year.
Jayson Molumby is currently on loan at Championship club West Bromwich Albion. Steve Bruce has already confirmed that his move has been made permanent.
Tudor Baluta and Lars Dendoncker are not in Potter’s plans and are most likely to leave. Brighton have the option of another year on Alex Cochrane's contract.
Burnley
Nine players' contracts expire at the end of the season at Burnley. Nine! You don't want to be in that situation. To be fair, a lot will also depend on where Burnley end up once the season ends.
Will they stay in the Premier League or will they go down? Added to this is the uncertainty surrounding their manager. They are currently 17th in the Premier League, level on points with 18th-placed Leeds United, ahead only on goal difference.
Ben Mee is the obvious name the club wants to hold on to. However, the captain wants to end the season before penning down a new deal.
It is believed that Jack Cork and Ashley Barnes should have their one-year extensions triggered. James Tarkowski has made his intentions clear and will leave in the summer along with Striker Matej Vydra.
Other names on the list include Phil Bardsley, Erik Pieters, Dale Stephens, and Aaron Lennon.
Chelsea
Antonio Rudiger has completed his switch from the Premier League to Real Madrid. The BBC reported that Andreas Christensen is off to Barcelona. The BBC also added that club captain Cesar Azpilicueta might follow his teammate despite triggering a clause to extend his stay by one year.
Danny Drinkwater's five-year contract worth 100k-week is coming to an end this summer.
Academy graduates Charly Musonda and Jake Clarke-Salter will also leave, with a couple of clubs in the Premier League and abroad interested in signing the latter, as per The Sun.
Crystal Palace
Palace could lose up to seven players at the end of the season.
The club has held talks with Cheikhou Kouyate but Martin Kelly and Jaroslaw Jach are expected to leave. James Tomkins could join them if the option for a further year is not pursued.
Back in February, Patrick Viera said this about Kouyate:
“We are in a situation where it is too early to talk about what will happen with Cheikhou or some of the players,” said Vieira on Monday.
Palace will likely trigger the one-year option in Jordan Ayew’s contract. That clause also exists for James McArthur, but the list of FA intermediary transactions suggests his deal has already been renewed without any official confirmation.
Nathaniel Clyne's future is up in the air.
Everton
Everton could have five first-team players at the end of the season.
Cenk Toson has not been offered a new deal and looks set to leave the club.
You could say the same for Fabian Delph, Jonjoe Kenny, Gylfi Sigurdsson or Asmir Begovic. None of them have agreed to an extension, except for Begovic, who has a one-year option. The Premier League club has some decisions to make.
Leeds
Having signed for Leeds back in January 2018, Laurens De Bock has only played seven times for the club. He will go out on loan to a different club each year and will now leave Leeds once his contract expires.
Leicester City
At 37 years of age, Eldin Jakupovic is happy to be playing as the club's third-choice keeper. Having made just four appearances in the last five seasons, Jakupovic is expected to continue for at least another season at Leicester.
Brendan Rodgers also prefers to have a senior keeper as a third choice at the club compared to a young emerging one, considering the lack of game time they would receive.
Liverpool
Divock Origi is expected to leave the Premier League at the end of the season. He had a clause in his contract that would have extended his stay by another year had he reached a certain number of appearances. But that's not the case.
The same can be said of Loris Karius. He too has a similar clause in his contract, but with no appearances for Liverpool, he is expected to leave the club after a six-year stint.
James Milner's situation is up in the air. As per The Telegraph, talks have taken place between both the parties, and Jurgen Klopp would like him to stay.
Newcastle United
Sean Longstaff looked all but set to leave in the January transfer window and this summer, but Eddie Howe wants him to stay. The Times reports that discussions have taken place between the player and the club; it is expected that the midfielder will continue beyond this season at the club.
Manchester City
Fernandinho announced, during a press conference in April, that he would be leaving the Premier League at the end of the season. He looks set to return to Brazil and play for a year or two.
Having signed on loan from Deby County, City signed Scott Carson on a permanent deal last year, set to expire this season. The 36-year is a big part of the dressing room, and he might just stay for another season at the club.
Norwich City
With Norwich relegated from the Premier League to the Championship, Lukas Rupp will leave the club as the German international is not looking to return to that league.
Aston Oxborough has attracted interest from plenty of EFL clubs, and Josip Drmic will also leave at the end of the season. Reece McAlear has impressed during a season on loan with Inverness Caledonian Thistle and should have plenty of suitors in Scotland.
Watford
As was the case with Norwich, Watford too have been relegated from the Premier League and that means some of their players have a relegation release clause like their captain Moussa Sissoko.
Danny Rose has been training with the under 23s since being cut from the main squad in January. It remains to be seen what comes out of it.
Dan Phillips and Juraj Kucka both have the option to stay at the club for another season, while with Mauricio Pochettino, the club have the option of extending his contract until 2024.
Peter Etebo has a loan with an option to buy from Stoke, which needs to be assessed.
West Ham
As reported by The Athletic, West Ham are set to exercise their one-year extension in Angelo Ogbonna's contract.
Whether the club exercises the one-year option in Andriy Yarmolenko and Ryan Fredericks' contracts is yet to be seen, but Lukasz Fabianski is believed to be staying at the club for another season. David Moyes said:
'Lukasz has played really well this year and we will be keeping him next year - of course we will. I think maybe the age Lukasz is at, we have tried to spare him.'
For David Martin, his future is dependent on whether West Ham decide to have three or four senior goalkeepers next season.
Tottenham Hotspur
Believe it or not, Antonio Conte's side is the only Premier League club to have no player contracts expiring at the end of the season.
Wolves
Fernando Marcal looks set to leave the club, and John Ruddy will wait until the summer to weigh in on his options.
Wolves have been in discussions with Joao Moutinho and Romain Saiss, although the latter might move on for an "interesting project", be it in the Premier League or abroad.
Here's what Wolves manager Bruno Lage had to say about Joao Moutinho:
“What I know is the club wants him and the player wants to stay,” Lage revealed. “After that, the only thing I can say is that I am very happy to work with him. When you come, even at 35-years-old, and you want to win this exercise, that’s why I shook his hand. It’s hard to find men like him. He wants to stay.”
Southampton
Having joined the club on an initial one-month deal in December and before being handed a six-month contract, Willy Caballero might stay at the club beyond this season.
Harry Lewis and Fraser Forster are not expected to sign new contracts and will leave the club.
Southampton will have to decide on Shane Long, who has featured heavily in recent weeks.
Manchester United
Paul Pogba looks all but set to leave the Premier League for a second time. Where he ends up is still anyone's guess, but Juventus, Real Madrid and PSG are all in contention for the Frenchman.
Jesse Lingard will be looking for a new club in the summer.
Contrary to reports, Juan Mata will not be retiring at the end of the season. He will weigh his options in the summer.
Edinson Cavani will also leave the Premier League in the summer and is hoping to move to a La Liga club. Nemanja Matic has also announced that he will be departing Manchester United this summer.
