Key Premier League Players Facing Contract Decisions This Summer
Harry Maguire’s new deal at Manchester United quietly removed one big name from this summer’s list of potential free agents. The England defender has committed his future to Old Trafford. Plenty of others have not.
Across the Premier League – and right through Europe – contracts are running down, options are ticking away and some major careers are about to hit a crossroads. With less than five weeks left of the league season, the market is braced for a wave of high‑profile movement.
This is where the big decisions are looming.
Arsenal: Quiet summer on the outgoings front
Mikel Arteta’s inbox is relatively calm. Only one senior player is out of contract.
Estonia goalkeeper Karl Hein, 24, is the sole Arsenal first‑teamer facing the end of his deal. He has just the one senior appearance for the club, a League Cup outing in 2022, and has spent this season on loan at Werder Bremen after previous spells at Reading and Real Valladolid. His future is likely to be decided away from the Emirates spotlight.
Bournemouth: Iraola out, Senesi in demand
One departure is already locked in. Head coach Andoni Iraola will leave Vitality Stadium in a few weeks. His successor, Marco Rose, will walk into an immediate dilemma at the heart of defence.
Marcos Senesi has been outstanding. The 28‑year‑old Argentine has started every league game bar one – when he was suspended – and has turned himself into one of Bournemouth’s most reliable performers. He has already rejected three new contract offers, with Juventus and several Premier League clubs circling.
Third‑choice keeper Fraser Forster, 38, has not played since signing a six‑month deal in January and is also heading towards the end of his agreement.
Brentford: Extensions can steady the ship
Brentford boss Keith Andrews has a chance to avoid a major rebuild simply by using the clauses already in place.
Rico Henry, 28, has been one of the standout left-backs in the league during the club’s push for European qualification. The Bees hold an option to extend his stay by a further year. The same applies to midfielders Mathias Jensen, 30, and Josh Dasilva, 27. Dasilva, handed a short-term deal in October after three seasons ravaged by injury, is fighting to re‑establish himself. Trigger those options, and a big chunk of Premier League experience stays in west London.
Brighton: A generation could walk away
Brighton are braced for serious turnover.
James Milner, 40, the most-used player in Premier League history, is yet to decide his future but continues to play a significant role around the squad. Defenders Adam Webster, 31, and Joel Veltman, 34, are also approaching the end of their deals. Webster, out since July 2025 with a serious ACL injury, has spoken publicly about wanting to stay.
Solly March, 31, another long-serving figure hampered by major knee problems, has struggled badly for minutes across the past three campaigns.
One key piece is settled. Lewis Dunk, 34, was due to be out of contract this summer, but BBC Sport understands he has triggered a one‑year extension, keeping the captain at the Amex a little longer.
Burnley: Relegation and a reset
Burnley’s relegation to the Championship will be confirmed if they lose to Manchester City on Wednesday. Behind the league table, contracts tell their own story.
Martin Dubravka, 37, has played every minute of the league season and his experience could be vital in the second tier – if he stays. DR Congo defender Axel Tuanzebe, 28, and 36‑year‑old striker Ashley Barnes, now a bit‑part figure in his second spell at the club, are also out of contract, as is third‑choice keeper Vaclav Hladky, 35.
The club do hold an option to extend the deal of Josh Laurent, 30, whose versatility in midfield could prove valuable in a reshaped Championship squad.
Crystal Palace: Cup winners, coach gone, big calls ahead
Oliver Glasner has already confirmed he will leave in the summer. The FA Cup‑winning coach departs just as Palace must decide on several key players.
Daichi Kamada, 29, and Jefferson Lerma, 31, have been regulars in midfield this season. Both are on course to become free agents midway through the World Cup. Palace do have a one‑year option on Lerma, which could yet be activated.
Nathaniel Clyne, 35, back for a second spell at Selhurst Park, has been used sparingly. Left-back Tayo Adaramola, 22, who made two cup appearances in 2022 and is currently on loan at Sheffield Wednesday, appears unlikely to be offered fresh terms.
Everton: Options on the table
David Moyes has a straightforward decision on Idrissa Gueye. The club can extend the 36‑year‑old Senegal midfielder’s contract by 12 months and, given his recent form, the sensible move is obvious.
Vitalii Mykolenko, 26, is also understood to have a one‑year option in his deal, while fellow defender Michael Keane, 33, has impressed as he fights for a longer stay.
At the other end of their careers, club captain Seamus Coleman, 37, has managed just 11 Premier League minutes in his 17th first‑team season. Tyler Onyango, 23, injured during his second loan spell at Stockport County, looks set to become a free agent.
Fulham: Wilson shining, Silva waiting
Harry Wilson, 29, might have missed out on another major tournament with Wales, but he has lit up the Premier League this season. Ten goals, six assists, constant threat. He almost joined Leeds United on deadline day last summer. Now, with that output, clubs higher up the table are likely to test Fulham’s resolve.
Manager Marco Silva is himself out of contract, yet still holds key decisions in his hands. He has a one‑year option on left-back Ryan Sessegnon, 25. Raul Jimenez, 34, has scored nine goals ahead of a World Cup on home soil with co‑hosts Mexico.
Fulham also retain one‑year options on Luke Harris, 21, currently at Wycombe Wanderers, and goalkeeper Steven Benda, 27, on loan at Feyenoord.
Leeds United: Three keepers, three expiring deals
Back‑to‑back wins have dragged Leeds towards safety. Now Daniel Farke must sort out his goalkeeping department.
Karl Darlow, 35, is the current number one, but his contract is up in June. So are the deals of back‑ups Illan Meslier, 26, and Alex Cairns, 33. It leaves Leeds with the prospect of losing their entire senior goalkeeping group in one hit.
Right-back Sam Byram, 32, has played just a few minutes of league football this season and seems likely to leave Elland Road for a second time.
Liverpool: Konate close, Robertson heading for Spurs
Ibrahima Konate is one Liverpool want to keep. The 26‑year‑old France centre-back, a title winner last season and one of the most coveted defenders in Europe, said after Sunday’s Merseyside derby that a new agreement is “close”.
Andy Robertson is going the other way. The 32‑year‑old Scotland captain, twice a Premier League champion and a Champions League winner since joining in 2017, will leave this summer. BBC Sport understands Tottenham are in advanced talks to sign him, having tried to land him in January.
Defender Rhys Williams, 25, and third‑choice keeper Freddie Woodman, 29 – who finally made his Premier League debut in a 2-1 win over Everton – are also out of contract.
Manchester City: The end of an era
At Etihad Stadium, one of the defining players of the Guardiola era is preparing to say goodbye.
Bernardo Silva, 31, will leave City this summer after nine seasons and 18 trophies – so far. The Portugal playmaker remains a high‑class operator and will be one of the most sought‑after free agents on the market.
John Stones could follow. The 31‑year‑old England centre-back has been central to City’s recent dominance, but a thigh injury kept him out for nine weeks and fierce competition in defence has limited him to just one league start since August. His future is now a live question.
Manchester United: Casemiro, Sancho, Malacia on the way out
United have already drawn a line under Casemiro’s time at Old Trafford. The 34‑year‑old Brazilian has rediscovered some form and scored four goals since announcing in January that he would leave this summer, prompting calls for a rethink. That decision, though, has been made.
Tyrell Malacia and Jadon Sancho, both 26, are also expected to go. United are unlikely to trigger a one‑year option on Sancho, who has spent this season on loan at Aston Villa. Malacia, the Netherlands left-back, is likewise heading for the exit.
Veteran third‑choice keeper Tom Heaton, 40, and midfielder Dan Gore, 21 – a regular starter on loan at relegated Rotherham United – are out of contract as well.
West Ham United: Short-term deals, long-term questions
Adama Traore, 30, has been used purely as an impact substitute since arriving from Fulham on a short-term contract in January, but West Ham hold an option to extend his stay.
Callum Wilson’s story has already twisted once. The Hammers were ready to terminate the 34‑year‑old former England striker’s deal before he scored a late winner against Tottenham in January. His future now hangs in the balance.
Former Poland keeper Lukasz Fabianski, 41, has missed most of the season with a back injury and is yet to begin talks over a new contract.
Europe: Heavyweights on the market
The talent pool beyond England is just as rich – and just as unsettled.
Robert Lewandowski, 37, remains one of the game’s elite finishers. Barcelona have yet to confirm whether he will stay beyond the summer. At Juventus, Dusan Vlahovic, 26, is stuck on the sidelines with a calf problem but already has 90 Serie A goals. His contract talks have stalled, putting one of Europe’s most feared strikers into play.
Germany winger Julian Brandt, 29, will leave Borussia Dortmund after more than 300 appearances. His compatriot Leon Goretzka, 31, is also moving on from Bayern Munich.
Elsewhere, Spain right-back Oscar Mingueza, 26, has not signed new terms at Celta Vigo. Morocco left-back Souffian El Karouani, 25, has racked up 16 assists for Utrecht this season and will attract serious interest. Former Chelsea centre-back Malang Saar, 27, is out of contract at Lens, though the Ligue 1 title challengers do have a one‑year option.
Other ex‑Premier League names could be on the move. Allan Saint-Maximin, 29, now at Lens, Brazil midfielder Fabinho, 32, at Al‑Ittihad, and Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger, 33, all face uncertain summers. Reports in Spain indicate Rudiger will sign a one‑year extension, but until pen hits paper, his name stays on the watchlist.
The clock is ticking. Contracts are running down. And as June approaches, the transfer market is about to discover which of these names will reshape the next phase of European football.
