The transfer window may only just have closed but for some clubs, but the fight to sign stars for next season will soon begin.
Out-of-favour fringe footballers, loanees and key figures who have cooled contract talks make up the list of players who will no longer be contracted to their current club come the summer of 2021. Here's every one of those players in currently in the top flight.
Arsenal
Arsenal currently have six players set to leave the club in the summer of 2021. This includes highest-paid earner Mesut Ozil, who is out of favour in Mikel Arteta's side, along with high earners Sokratis, David Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi.
Forwards Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah are among the players with two years left on their deals.
- Dani Ceballos (on loan from Real Madrid)
- David Luiz
- Matt Macey
- Shkodran Mustafi
- Mesut Ozil
- Sokratis Papastathopoulos
Aston Villa
Just the three Aston Villa players whose contract runs out at the end of the season, with Ahmed Elmohamady being the highest-profile.
Of Villa's whole squad, only Kortney Hause is set to leave in 2022 as it stands - perhaps thanks to the influx of players that the club have purchased in the past two seasons.
- Ahmed Elmohamady
- Henri Lansbury
- Neil Taylor
- Ross Barkley (on loan from Chelsea)
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion have just the three players - all on the fringes of the squad - who can leave for free from next summer.
The Seagulls have some work to do with the contracts department, should they want to keep a number of their key players beyond the summer of 2022, however. Pascal Gross, Mat Ryan, Solly March and Bernardo all have deals that expired the summer after next.
- Jose Izquierdo
- Jason Steele
- Christian Walton
Burnley
After Burnley's high-profile summer in which a number of players were out of contract, leaving Sean Dyche short of numbers in his squad, the Clarets have another 10 players who are yet to agree terms beyond the end of this season.
Ashley Barnes, Dale Stephens, Ben Mee and James Tarkowski all have deals that end in the summer of 2022, with Nick Pope and Dwight McNeil staying till 2023.
- Phil Bardsley
- Robbie Brady
- Jack Cork
- Johan Gudmundsson
- Kevin Long
- Matt Lowton
- Erik Pieters
- Jay Rodriguez
- Charlie Taylor
- Matej Vydra
Chelsea
Just the four players for Chelsea who are on the final year of their contract, including new signing Thiago Silva, who only signed a 12-month deal.
The Blues will offload Danny Drinkwater in 2022 at the latest, thanks to the deal he signed in 2017, while defenders Emerson, Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger are all on the penultimate years of their contracts.
- Willy Caballero
- Olivier Giroud
- Victor Moses
- Thiago Silva
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace have a lot of key players on the final year of their deal, including three goalkeepers, centre-backs Gary Cahill and Mamadou Sakho, and winger Andros Townsend.
With a number of these players over 30, some will inevitably leave in the summer of 2021. Talisman Wilfried Zaha is contracted until 2023.
- Christian Benteke
- Gary Cahill
- Vicente Guaita
- Stephen Henderson
- Wayne Hennessey
- Martin Kelly
- James McArthur
- Max Meyer
- Tyrick Mitchell
- Mamadou Sakho
- Jeff Schlupp
- Andros Townsend
- Patrick van Aanholt
- Joel Ward
- Connor Wickham
Everton
Everton have just two fringe players set to leave next summer as it currently stands. Between them, Muhamed Besic and Yannick Bolasie have been on loan three times each since arriving on Merseyside.
Captain Seamus Coleman is among the stars who can leave in 2022, according to their current deal. James Rodriguez is another of these players - as he only signed a two-year deal upon joining this summer - while Fabian Delph, Bernard, Jonjo Kenny and club record signing Gylfi Sigurdsson are also on their penultimate year at Everton.
- Muhamid Besic
- Yannick Bolasie
- Robin Olsen (on loan from Roma)
Fulham
Aside from the three players they currently have on loan, Fulham's only first-team regular who can currently leave in the summer for nothing is Tim Ream.
Denis Odoi, Jean Seri and Michael Hector all have deals that end in 2022.
- Ola Aina
- Joachim Anderson (on loan from Olympique Lyonnais)
- Alphonse Areola (on loan from Paris Saint-Germain)
- Fabri
- Ademola Lookman (on loan from RB Leipzig)
- Kevin McDonald
- Tim Ream
Leeds United
Premier League returnees Leeds United have just two players who are contracted until next summer.
35-year-old Pablo Hernandez is contracted until 2022 - as is Patrick Bamford, Adam Forshaw and Tyler Roberts
- Ezgyan Alioski
- Barry Douglas
Leicester City
Leicester City are set to lose three defenders over 30 for free next summer, with stalwart Jonny Evans joining title-winners Wes Morgan and Christian Fuchs on the last year of their contract. Demarai Gray, who signed a long-term deal amid interest from other clubs when Claude Puel was manager, may also walk for free.
Kelechi Iheanacho and Mark Albrighton are among the stars on the penultimate year of their current terms. Kasper Schmeichel and Jamie Vardy - both 33 - have deals that expire in 2023.
- Jonny Evans
- Christian Fuchs
- Demarai Gray
- Eldin Jakupovic
- Wes Morgan
- Islam Slimani
- Cengiz Under (on loan from AS Roma)
Liverpool
While Georginio Wijnaldum was rumoured to be leaving Liverpool for Barcelona in the summer, the 29-year-old Netherlands international has still not signed another contract to keep him at Anfield beyond next summer.
Of Liverpool's first-team regulars, only James Milner is set to leave in 2022 - he'll be 36, by this point.
- Adrian
- Gini Wijnaldum
Manchester City
Two of Manchester City's spine - Sergio Aguero, 32, and Fernandinho, 35 - are on the final years of their current contracts. John Stones is the only City regular whose deal ends the following summer.
Manager Pep Guardiola is also on the final season of his current contract.
- Sergio Aguero
- Fernandinho
- Eric Garcia
- Taylor Harwood-Bellis
Manchester United
Club record signing Paul Pogba recently triggered a one-year extension on his Manchester United contract, keeping him at the club until 2022.
Only Eric Bailly and Axel Tuanzebe can leave in 2021 for free, as it stands.
- Edinson Cavani
- Timothy Fosu-Mensah
- Lee Grant
- Odion Ighalo (on loan from Shanghai Shenhua)
- Jesse Lingard
- Juan Mata
- Paul Pogba
- Sergio Romero
- Marcus Rojo
Newcastle United
Newcastle United have a host of players in the final year of their contract, including veteran target man Andy Carroll, forgotten man Henri Saivet and perhaps most concerningly, defensive rock Fabian Schar.
2022 marks the end of the Longstaff brothers' contracts.
- Rolando Aarons
- Christian Atsu
- Andy Carroll
- Ciaran Clark
- Josh Murphy
- Federico Fernandez
- Henri Saivet
- Fabian Schar
- DeAndre Yedlin
Sheffield United
38-year-old Phil Jagielka is one of Sheffield United's bigger names in the final year of his current contract. Undoubtedly the biggest Blades star who can currently leave for free next summer though is John Lundstrum.
Captain Billy Sharp, David McGoldrick, Chris Basham, Jack Robinson, Lys Mousset and George Baldock all have contracts that are up in 2022.
- Kean Bryan
- Phil Jagielka
- John Lundstram
- Simon Moore
- Jack Rodwell
Southampton
Ryan Bertrand and Oriel Romeu - both signed from Chelsea - are Southampton's most regular starters of their list of players who can leave in 2021 for free.
England international Danny Ings is on the penultimate year of his contract, which ends just after he turns 30.
- Ryan Bertrand
- Jake Hesketh
- Harry Lewis
- Sam McQueen
- Oriel Romeu
Tottenham Hotspur
After Christian Eriksen, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen all reached the final year of their respective deals for Tottenham Hotspur last season, Spurs have no such worries this campaign, with the frozen-out Danny Rose their only major star set to leave the club for free next summer.
The club have no worries about big stars running down contracts soon. Son Heung-min is contracted until 2023, with Harry Kane, Lucas Moura, Dele Alli and Davinson Sanchez all staying until 2024 on their current deals.
- Gareth Bale (on loan from Real Madrid)
- Cameron Carter-Vickers
- Gedson Fernandes (on loan from Benfica)
- Danny Rose
- Carlos Vinicius (on loan from Benfica)
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion have 11 players on the last season on their current deals. These include strikers Hal Robson-Kanu and Charlie Austin along with two left-backs in Conor Townsend and Kieran Gibbs.
Club captain Jake Livermore is among eight stars whose deals expire in 2022.
- Charlie Austin
- Kyle Bartley
- Jonathan Bond
- Kyle Edwards
- Kieran Gibbs
- Kamil Grosicki
- Branislav Ivanovic
- Filipe Krovinovic
- Lee Peltier
- Hal Robson-Kanu
- Conor Townsend
West Ham United
West Ham United trio Michail Antonio (30), Mark Noble (33) and Lukas Fabianski (35) are the highest-profile players at the London Stadium to be on the final years of their contracts.
In-demand defensive midfielder Declan Rice is contracted to West Ham until 2024 - good news for Hammers fans.
- Michail Antonio
- Fabian Balbuena
- Lukas Fabianski
- David Martin
- Mark Noble
- Robert Snodgrass
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers' defensive pair Willy Boly and Romain Saiss are among the half-dozen players into the final years of their deals, with two other key members of the side, Joao Moutinho (34) and Rui Patricio (32), sitting on contracts that expire in 2022.
Adama Traore and Ruben Neves - two of the club's more valuable assets - are contracted until 2023.
- Rayan Ait-Nouri (on loan from Angers)
- Ryan Bennett
- Willy Boly
- John Ruddy
- Romain Saiss
- Vitinha (on loan from Porto)
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