Contracts running out in 2026

4607 players are into the last year of their deal. A club with a year left on an asset either sells or loses them, which is the cheapest leverage in any transfer window.

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Every number here is Gaffa’s own in-game rating, generated for gameplay balance from publicly available squad data. They are not scouting assessments of real footballers and are not sourced from any third-party ratings provider.

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Best players in their final year

Ranked by current ability. These are not free agents — every one is still under contract — but a selling club knows the clock is running, and that shows up in what they will accept.

PlayerAgePositionClubLeagueRatingPotentialContract endsValue
T. Courtois33GoalkeeperReal MadridLa Liga89892026£2.8m
R. Lewandowski36ForwardFC BarcelonaLa Liga88882026£2.6m
F. de Jong28MidfielderFC BarcelonaLa Liga87872026£6.6m
Y. Sommer36GoalkeeperInterSerie A87872026£750k
M. Maignan29GoalkeeperAC MilanSerie A87882026£5.1m
I. Konaté26DefenderLiverpoolPremier League86872026£5.8m
A. Rüdiger32DefenderReal MadridLa Liga86862026£3.7m
P. Dybala31MidfielderRomaSerie A86862026£4.7m
Carvajal33DefenderReal MadridLa Liga85852026£2.3m
D. Upamecano26DefenderFC Bayern MünchenBundesliga85882026£5.2m
P. Gulácsi35GoalkeeperRB LeipzigBundesliga85852026£500k
Iñigo Martínez34DefenderAl NassrSaudi Pro League85852026£1.5m
N. Kanté34MidfielderAl IttihadSaudi Pro League85852026£1.5m
K. Benzema37ForwardAl IttihadSaudi Pro League85852026£1.5m
Bernardo Silva30MidfielderManchester CityPremier League84842026£3.4m
F. Acerbi37DefenderInterSerie A84842026£625k
S. de Vrij33DefenderInterSerie A84842026£1.7m
A. Lookman27ForwardAtalantaSerie A84842026£3.8m
M. Carnesecchi25GoalkeeperAtalantaSerie A84882026£3.8m
M. Neuer39GoalkeeperFC Bayern MünchenBundesliga84842026£392k
B. Pavard29DefenderOlympique de MarseilleLigue 184842026£3.0m
R. De Paul31MidfielderInter MiamiMLS84842026£2.9m
S. Milinković-Savić30MidfielderAl HilalSaudi Pro League84842026£3.4m
Rúben Neves28MidfielderAl HilalSaudi Pro League84852026£3.4m
P. Hincapié23DefenderArsenalPremier League83892026£4.3m
Palhinha29MidfielderTottenham HotspurPremier League83832026£2.6m
Gavi20MidfielderFC BarcelonaLa Liga83892026£4.7m
T. Partey32MidfielderVillarreal CFLa Liga83832026£2.0m
Iago Aspas37ForwardRC CeltaLa Liga83832026£1.0m
H. Mkhitaryan36MidfielderInterSerie A83832026£958k
L. Modrić39MidfielderAC MilanSerie A83832026£958k
L. Openda25ForwardJuventusSerie A83852026£3.8m
J. Brandt29MidfielderBorussia DortmundBundesliga83832026£3.0m
S. Mané33MidfielderAl NassrSaudi Pro League83832026£1.9m
A. Robertson31DefenderLiverpoolPremier League82822026£1.8m
J. Stones31DefenderManchester CityPremier League82822026£1.8m
F. Schär33DefenderNewcastle UnitedPremier League82822026£1.2m
M. Guéhi24DefenderCrystal PalacePremier League82842026£2.9m
D. Alaba33DefenderReal MadridLa Liga82822026£1.2m
Parejo36MidfielderVillarreal CFLa Liga82822026£792k
M. Akanji29DefenderInterSerie A82822026£2.1m
D. Vlahović25ForwardJuventusSerie A82852026£3.4m
D. Zapata34ForwardTorinoSerie A82822026£1.3m
L. Goretzka30MidfielderFC Bayern MünchenBundesliga82822026£2.4m
S. Gnabry29MidfielderFC Bayern MünchenBundesliga82822026£2.5m
E. Can31DefenderBorussia DortmundBundesliga82822026£1.8m
M. Götze33MidfielderEintracht FrankfurtBundesliga82822026£1.5m
Trincão25MidfielderSporting CPPrimeira Liga82842026£3.2m
N. Otamendi37DefenderSL BenficaPrimeira Liga82822026£458k
O. Kökçü24MidfielderBeşiktaş JKSüper Lig82862026£3.6m
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Common questions

Are these players free agents?

No, and the difference matters. Every player here is still contracted to a club until 2026. What a short contract changes is the price — a club facing the loss of an asset for nothing is a more willing seller.

Is it better to wait until the contract expires?

Sometimes, but you are betting nobody else moves first and that the player does not simply re-sign. Buying in the last year usually costs a fraction of the same player two seasons earlier.

How many players are in this position?

4607 across all 28 leagues. The table shows the 50 highest-rated.

Go and sign them

Pick a club, open the transfer market and see how far the budget stretches. Free, in your browser, nothing to install.

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