There is not much time left before the doors of the winter transfer market open in January 2023, which coincides with the start of the free period in the contracts of many European club stars, whose contracts expire at the end of the season.

Players whose contracts expire in June have the right to negotiate with other clubs, without referring to their current teams, in order to reach an agreement with them to include them in free transfer deals in the summer, or even to move in January, at a low price if their clubs agree.

15 free players

The Spanish newspaper "Marca" reviewed a long list of the most prominent players whose contracts expire in June 2023, and they have the right to negotiate starting next week with other clubs, and we review the most prominent 15 stars of them.

Ngolo Kante

After he was one of the main stars in Chelsea during the past four seasons, the repeated injuries suffered by Frenchman N'Golo Kante led to a diminished effect, which is likely to leave him next summer for free.

And the Spanish newspaper "SPORT" confirmed a few days ago that Kante, 31, might end up moving to Barcelona, ​​​​to be a replacement for veteran Sergio Busquets, whose departure from the "Blaugrana" was confirmed after the end of the current season.

Jorginho

Like his colleague Kante, the Italian Jorginho's contract with Chelsea expires next June, and he has the right to negotiate a transfer to another team, knowing that he is the same age as Kante, and his name was also associated with Barcelona earlier.

But the Brazilian player wants to stay with the "Blues", and he told the "talkSPORT" radio station that he prefers to continue with Chelsea, expressing his happiness to play under the leadership of coach Graham Potter, and he is currently thinking only of winning matches.

Memphis Depay

The role of the Dutchman, Memphis Depay, has clearly receded with Barcelona, ​​Spain, since the arrival of the Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, and he is no longer participating mainly with the team, and the chance of his departure has become much higher than his chances of staying.

According to the newspaper "SPORT", Barcelona wants to sell Depay (28 years) in the winter transfer period to ensure obtaining a financial consideration, instead of his inevitable departure for free in the summer, but the player has a different point of view, as he prefers to complete his contract and leave for free, from In order to get a bigger salary from his future team.

Milan Skriniar

Inter Milan has been trying for some time to persuade its Slovenian defender, Milan Skriniar, to extend his contract 6 months before its expiration, but it collides with the player's and his agents' response, hoping to get a better offer, or move to a new team.

More than one English club wants to sign Skriniar, 27, similar to Tottenham and Newcastle United, and Paris Saint-Germain was also interested in signing the player last summer.

Lionel Messi

It seems that Argentine star Lionel Messi has made up his mind and decided to extend his contract for an additional season with Paris Saint-Germain, days after the euphoria of the historic coronation of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, for the first time in the player's career.

Messi is close to renewing his contract with Paris Saint-Germain (Reuters)

And the French newspaper "Le Parisien" reported that Messi, 35, had already reached a preliminary agreement with Saint-Germain to stay in it for at least the 2023-2024 season, stressing that the official announcement may be issued within days.

Marco Asensio

The Spanish star is 26 years old, and his fate is still unknown with his Spanish club Real Madrid, who did not start negotiations with the international player to renew his contract, amid indications of his possible departure to a club that does not participate in the Spanish League.

According to Spanish reports, Paris Saint-Germain entered the race to sign Asensio, noting that Luis Campos, PSG's sports director, admires Asensio's abilities and wants to sign him as an additional option in the Parisian club's attack.

Marcus Rashford

Manchester United is close to reaching an agreement with Rashford to extend his contract for an additional year, to ensure that he stays until the end of the 2023-2024 season, according to the British news agency PA Media.

And press reports linked Rashford, 25, to Paris Saint-Germain, as the top scorer for Manchester club, by scoring 8 goals this season at the level of all competitions, in addition to scoring 3 goals for the England national team, to contribute to reaching the quarter-finals in the Qatar World Cup 2022.

Roberto Firmino

Liverpool has not yet decided the fate of its Brazilian striker Robert Firmino, who scored 9 goals during the current season in 19 matches with the team in all competitions, although he does not play in the main.

Roberto Firmino received an offer from Al-Nasr Saudi Arabia (Getty Images)

According to the "Mirror" newspaper, Firmino (31) received an offer to move to the Saudi club Al-Nasr next summer.

Ilkay Gundogan

Gundogan is one of the players that Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola mainly relies on, but the door to negotiations between the two parties to renew the contract was not opened 6 months before its expiry.

Many reports indicated that the 32-year-old German player was considering changing the atmosphere, and it was reported that the destination might be FC Barcelona, ​​which prefers to sign players for free due to its financial crisis.

Tony Cross

It is possible that the Spanish club Real Madrid will announce the extension of the contract of its veteran German star, Toni Kroos, (32 years), for an additional season, as a reward for the distinguished levels that he provides with the team.

And the Spanish newspaper “AS” reported that Real Madrid plans to keep Kroos for a new season, after the player had previously expressed his desire to retire from football while he was in the ranks of the Royal Club.

David De Gea

Spanish goalkeeper De Gea has been defending Manchester United for 11 years, but mystery surrounds his fate now, in light of the division of opinions regarding him between the club's management, which prefers his departure after the expiration of his contract, and Dutch coach Erik Ten Hag, who wants to keep him for at least one more season.

And the German newspaper "Bild" confirmed that Manchester United plans to sign Swiss goalkeeper Jan Sommer, goalkeeper of Borussia Monchengladbach, to replace De Gea (32 years).

Wilfried Zaha

Many English clubs want to sign Ivorian Wilfried Zaha, the star of Crystal Palace, taking advantage of the near expiration of his contract with his current team.

Wilfried Zaha, Crystal Palace star (Getty Images)

But the Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, who specializes in transfer news, confirmed that Crystal Palace will fight to the end to keep Zaha (30 years old), but he indicated that the closest is the player’s departure at the end of the current season, amid interest from Chelsea, Manchester United and Everton clubs.

Joseph Moukoko

The talent of the young Youssef Mokoko (18 years old) has caught the attention of many European clubs that want to obtain the services of his German club, Borussia Dortmund, at a low price due to the imminent expiry of his contract.

And Patrick Williams, the agent of the young German striker, confirmed that negotiations with Dortmund regarding the renewal of the contract had not resulted in anything new so far, opening the door for clubs seeking to include him.

Adrien Rabiot

Several press reports revealed that Rabio may leave his Italian team, Juventus, during the winter transfer period, indicating that the new destination will be the English Premier League.

And the British newspaper “THE SUN” reported that Arsenal is moving strongly to include Rabiot, 27, with interest in the player as well from Tottenham.

Yuri Telemans

Many European clubs are seeking to sign the brilliant Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans with Leicester City, who has so far failed to convince his player to renew.

According to the English press, Arsenal tops the list of clubs seeking to sign Telemans (25 years old), amid interest in his services also from Real Madrid and Barcelona.