The players at the World Cup who are out of contract: From Stones and Salah to Modric – The Athletic
This is an updated version of an article first published on June 14.
Eye-catching performances at a World Cup can change the trajectory of a player’s career. It is men’s football’s biggest shop window.
While most players have been focused on glory with their countries, for those out of contract, the tournament is also the perfect opportunity to impress as they try to find new clubs. Typically, football players’ contracts expire on June 30. As that date has now come around, let’s look at the updated list.
At this World Cup, over 25 players are out of contract. From Premier League champions to international team captains, here is a list of those players, followed by (just for fun) The Athletic’s combined XI of soon-to-be free agents who have been competing in North America.
You can also find the players who weren’t retained by their Premier League clubs here.
World Cup players who are out of contract:
- Abdul Mumin, 27, Ghana (Last club: Rayo Vallecano)
- Angus Gunn, 30, Scotland (Last club: Nottingham Forest)
- Axel Tuanzebe, 28, DR Congo (Last club: Burnley)
- Bamba Dieng, 26, Senegal (Last club: Lorient)
- Casemiro, 34, Brazil (Last club: Manchester United)
- Chancel Mbemba, 31, DR Congo (Last club: Lille)
- Daichi Kamada, 29, Japan (Last club: Crystal Palace — Kamada is expected to sign a new contract with Palace, The Athletic’s Matt Woosnam reports)
- David Alaba, 33, Austria (Last club: Real Madrid)
- Fabinho, 32, Brazil (Last club: Al Ittihad)
- Franck Kessie, 29, Ivory Coast (Last club: Al Ahli)
- Gideon Mensah, 27, Ghana (Last club: Auxerre)
- James Rodriguez, 34, Colombia (Last club: Minnesota United)
- John Stones, 32, England (Last club: Manchester City)
- Kaku, 31, Paraguay (Last club: Al Ain)
- Leon Goretzka, 31, Germany (Last club: Bayern Munich)
- Luka Modric, 40, Croatia (Last club: AC Milan — option for a one-year extension)
- Mohamed Salah, 33, Egypt (Last club: Liverpool)
- Nabil Bentaleb, 31, Algeria (Last club: Lille)
- Orjan Nyland, 35, Norway (Last club: Sevilla)
- Salih Ozcan, 28, Turkey (Last club: Borussia Dortmund)
- Takehiro Tomiyasu, 27, Japan (Last club: Ajax)
- Thomas Meunier, 34, Belgium (Last club: Lille)
- Thomas Partey, 32, Ghana (Last club: Villarreal)
- Xaver Schlager, 28, Austria (Last club: RB Leipzig)
- Zeki Celik, 29, Turkey (Last club: Roma)
Our combined out-of-contract XI
Goalkeeper
Orjan Nyland, Norway
Orjan Nyland could serve a team well as an experienced squad player (Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
Once a Championship goalkeeper with Aston Villa and Reading, Nyland played the majority of La Liga games for Sevilla in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons before Greece international Odysseas Vlachodimos took the starting spot last season.
Nyland prevented close to 1.8 goals across 59 games for Sevilla, according to the expected goals conceded metric, and was capable of playing out with his feet. But during his two seasons as a regular, Sevilla were close to the relegation zone.
The 35-year-old has been Norway’s No 1 in their first men’s World Cup since 1998 and, with close to 70 international caps and experience in English and Spanish football, he could serve as a useful squad player to his next team.
Linked to: Greuther Furth, 2.Bundesliga
Defenders
Zeki Celik, Turkey
Celik was a Ligue 1 champion with Lille in 2020-21 and for the last four seasons, has played in Serie A with Roma.
With experience in the Champions League and Europa League, Celik is a right-back with versatility to play centre-back and wing-back.
He received 15 passes per game in the attacking third last season, showing confidence getting high, while only Inter’s Federico Dimarco delivered more low crosses than Celik in the Italian top flight last season.
For Turkey, the 29-year-old started two out of three games in a disappointing tournament, which saw them eliminated in the group stage.
Linked to: Juventus, renewal with Roma
Axel Tuanzebe, DR Congo
Tuanzebe has suffered the unfortunate fate of back-to-back Premier League relegations with Ipswich Town and Burnley, where he started 14 league games last season after missing time with an Achilles tendon injury earlier in the year.
The 28-year-old Manchester United academy product has been at the heart of DR Congo’s defence during the World Cup, helping them progress to the knockouts for the first time in their history after a win over Uzbekistan and holding Portugal to a draw.
Having regularly fought for Premier League survival, it makes sense that Tuanzebe is linked with Coventry City, who have just been promoted and require experience at the level.
Linked to: Coventry City
John Stones, England
John Stones won it all at Manchester City (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Stones ended a trophy-laden decade at Manchester City last season.
The centre-back won 16 trophies at City, including six league titles and the 2023 Champions League, and his technical ability was trusted enough by Pep Guardiola for him to operate a a holding midfielder at times from the 2022-23 season onwards.
Now 32, Stones has not played consistently over recent years, only nine times last campaign, and has picked up various injury issues. But his quality when fit and winning pedigree has seen him selected for Thomas Tuchel’s England squad and start in the opening game against Croatia.
Linked to: Bayern Munich, Everton
David Alaba, Austria
David Alaba arrives at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on June 4 (Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images)
Another accomplished footballer, Alaba, 33, will leave Real Madrid this summer after five years at the club, winning two La Liga and Champions League titles.
This World Cup is his first. He has only started nine league games over the last two seasons, but the Austria captain started all three group games, managing about an hour in each, as they dramatically booked their spot in the knockouts.
Over his career, Alaba has had the versatility to play centre-back, left-back and holding midfield under managers such as Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti. But the former Bayern Munich player has suffered various injuries at Madrid, including a ruptured ACL in December 2023 that kept him out for over a year.
Linked to: Milan, Red Bull Salzburg
Midfield
Casemiro, Brazil
Casemiro scored nine goals for Manchester United last season (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
Manchester United announced in January that Casemiro would leave at the expiration of his contract. However, the 34-year-old was one of the club’s most consistent performers last season.
Casemiro made 111 league appearances for United after signing from Real Madrid for £60million ($80m) in 2022. He had a mixed time there, with former Liverpool player and pundit Jamie Carragher declaring his “legs had gone” in October 2023. But the Brazilian ended his United career on a high.
With an uncanny ability to get on the end of Bruno Fernandes’s crosses, he finished with nine goals — only three United players outscored the midfielder.
That bodes well for his next club, where he could continue his rejuvenation and bring experience in heaps.
Linked to: Inter Miami
Leon Goretzka, Germany
German international Goretzka proved a valuable member of an exciting and high-scoring Bayern Munich side in his eighth and last season with the Bundesliga champions.
Head coach Vincent Kompany used the midfielder 31 times in the league in a holding role, as a No 8, and he is also capable of playing more advanced.
His utility and energetic style of play will make the 31-year-old an attractive option this summer.
Linked to: Chicago Fire
Franck Kessie, Ivory Coast
Franck Kessie is the Ivory Coast’s captain (Kate McShane/Getty Images)
The former Milan and Barcelona midfielder will be out of contract with Saudi club Al Ahli.
Kessie, who has over 100 caps for his country and won the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, has performed well in the World Cup, playing 90 minutes in two of three games and scoring against Germany.
The 29-year-old is a goal threat from midfield and scored 12 goals in the Saudi league last season. The question will be whether clubs are willing to match his substantial salary and whether his high level has been maintained after four seasons in the league.
Linked to: Juventus
Forwards
Mohamed Salah, Egypt
Mohamed Salah has ended his nine-year stay at Liverpool (Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
Salah will leave Liverpool as one of their greatest players. Although his renewed contract last year ran until 2027, the club reached an agreement to end his nine-year stay at the club this summer.
The Egyptian’s output dropped off last season — seven goals and seven assists — compared to the 2024-25 season when he finished as the Premier League’s top scorer and creator with 29 goals and 18 assists.
With a basic weekly wage of £400,000 ($533,000) at Liverpool, few clubs might be able to afford him. However, at 33, he takes pride in his conditioning and remains one of the biggest names in football.
Linked to: Al Ittihad, Fenerbahce
James Rodriguez, Colombia
It was James’ 2014 World Cup that earned him a move from Monaco to Real Madrid, finishing as the tournament’s Golden Boot winner with six goals as Colombia reached the quarter-final.
Since then, the now 34-year-old has drifted between clubs playing in England, Greece, Qatar, Brazil, Spain, Mexico and most recently, the U.S. for Minnesota United, who James joined to gain fitness for the World Cup but only featured six times in the MLS.
As Colombia’s captain, he started all three group games as they topped the standings above Portugal. James has adapted to a lack of pace by playing as a deep-lying wide player, still possessing great vision and passing.
Linked to: Millonarios (Colombia)
Bamba Dieng, Senegal
Dieng has played in France since moving to Marseille in 2021.
Injury troubles have limited his game time over the past few seasons. As seen in the graphic above, he played 39 per cent of games for Lorient in Ligue 1 last season.
When fit, Dieng has been prolific in the French league, scoring 10 goals from 15 starts last campaign. His box threat is a particular strength and, at 26, he is in his prime.
Linked to: Sevilla
