Salah, Goretzka, Vlahovic, and Five More Free Agents Still Looking for a Club
With around a month to go before the start the 2026-27 domestic season, there are some big names still without a club. We look at eight free agents still on the market.
The World Cup ending is a bit like coming back from holiday. It takes a minute to remember what everyday life was like and to get back into routine.
For most footballers, that routine has already started, with pre-season under way for clubs as they welcome back their players in preparation for another 10 months of battling on several fronts.
Not all players have a club to go back to, though. Some whose contracts ended at the culmination of last season are still trying to find their new homes, and here, we run through some of the highest-profile free agents still on the market.
Mohamed Salah
The Egyptian King is without a throne.
Mohamed Salah broke all kinds of records in his nine seasons at Liverpool, but their story together came to an end in May, with an agreement to cut his contract short by a year.
It has felt at times this summer like it would make sense for all parties if Salah just went back to Liverpool, and that the only thing standing in the way of that is how incredibly awkward it would be after saying such an emotional goodbye at the end of last season.
Salah had an underwhelming campaign in 2025-26 by his remarkably high standards but still managed 12 goals and 10 assists in all competitions. As recently as 2024-25, he racked up 57 goal involvements in a single season (34 goals, 23 assists).
He also showed recently he can still do it on the biggest stage. Salah helped get Egypt to the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup, where they came close to eliminating eventual finalists Argentina. Only six players created more chances from open play than Salah (12) at the tournament, and all of them played more games than him.
Salah will undoubtedly find a home, and it looked for some time like it could be Turkish side Besiktas, but that appears to have fallen through. Links remain with clubs from Major League Soccer and the Saudi Pro League.
Dusan Vlahovic
After a brilliant first half to the 2021-22 season with Fiorentina in which he scored 20 goals in 24 games, Dusan Vlahovic earned a move to Juventus for a reported €80 million.
The big striker has been a regular scorer in Italy in recent years, most coming via his trusty left foot.
Vlahovic scored 68 times in 168 games in total for the Bianconeri. He hit double figures in all four of his full seasons in Turin, but never managed 20, with his best return being 18 goals in 2023-24.
Injuries in recent years have prevented the Serbia international from having the impact he perhaps could have had. Last season, an adductor injury was the main reason he only played 26 games in all competitions, but he still managed 12 goals.
Vlahovic’s release was supposedly more down to wage demands than ability, so if a team needing a striker who scores goals can afford it, he could be a sensible choice. The injury record is likely to make many a bit unsure, though.
Like Salah, he has been linked with Besiktas, while Barcelona have also reportedly considered him as a replacement for Robert Lewandowski.
Jadon Sancho
A few years ago, some would have anticipated that the 2026 World Cup would be one for a 26-year-old Jadon Sancho to shine. As it was, he was never even in the conversation for Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.
After moving to Germany early in his career, he exploded at Borussia Dortmund. In his three full seasons there, Sancho recorded 102 goal involvements in 125 games (49 goals, 53 assists) and was an absolute menace with the ball at his feet.
Across those three campaigns (start of 2018-19 to end of 2020-21) in Europe’s top five leagues, only Lionel Messi (39) was directly involved in more league goals following a ball carry (travelling 5+ metres with the ball) than Sancho (33).
That earned him a £73m move to Manchester United in 2021, but it really didn’t work out in the Premier League. Sancho managed just 12 goals and six assists in 83 games for United, not doing much better in loan spells at Dortmund (3G 2A in 21 games), Chelsea (5G 8A in 41 games), or last season with Aston Villa (1G 3A in 39 games).
Now, he finds himself looking for a new permanent club following the expiration of his deal at Old Trafford.
At just 26, though, there will be a team out there who will believe they can get Sancho back to his best. Or at least find some of the undeniable talent the player possessed a few years ago.
Unsurprisingly, Dortmund have been the main team linked with another reunion, and a return to Germany could be the perfect remedy for the player.
Leon Goretzka
Eight years ago, Leon Goretzka joined Bayern Munich from Schalke 04 on a free transfer. Since then, he has been linked with a big-money move to other giant European clubs, but stayed with Bayern until the end of his deal. Now he’s come full circle as he is once again available on a free.
In his time in Munich, Goretzka won seven Bundesliga titles, three DFB-Pokals, four DFL/Franz Beckenbauer Supercups, a UEFA Champions League, a UEFA Super Cup and a FIFA Club World Cup.
He had ups and downs with Bayern, playing in various roles under very different managers, including Hansi Flick, Julian Nagelsmann, Thomas Tuchel and Vincent Kompany, but just when his form looked to have faded, he seemed to burst right back.
At the age of 31, it feels like the Germany midfielder still has plenty to offer, but as things stand, no-one has yet taken a leap to sign him.
He managed five goals and three assists in the Bundesliga last season. Of Bayern players, only Kim Min-Jae (39) made more interceptions than Goretzka (26), and only three of his teammates won possession more often than him (100).
He has been linked with Milan, Juventus and even Arsenal in some circles, though Serie A feels like it would be a good move for him at this stage of his career.
Franck Kessie
Speaking of Serie A, Franck Kessie made his name there playing for Atalanta and Milan, and after spells with Barcelona and Al-Ahli, he could be on his way back to Italy.
It feels like the Ivorian midfielder has been around forever, but he’s still just 29, and he showed at the World Cup that he can still reach a decent level.
A good destination could be a team needing a strong penalty taker. Kessie scored a remarkable 11 Serie A penalties for Milan in the 2020-21 season; there have only been three occurrences of a player scoring more in one of Europe’s top five leagues since the turn of the century.
He is so much more than that, though. Only Ibrahim Sangaré (172) completed more passes than Kessie (163) for Ivory Coast at the 2026 World Cup, while only Yan Diomande (18) won possession more times than him (16).
The strongest links this summer have been with Juventus, but rumours suggest a reunion with his former Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini at Roma could be possible.
Julian Brandt
It is funny that Julian Brandt is on this list alongside Mohamed Salah. As the well-told story goes, Jürgen Klopp was keen on Liverpool signing Brandt back in 2017, before he was convinced by the club’s scouting team that Salah would be a better option. That turned out to be a good call.
However, Brandt was still, and is still, a very good player. Could Liverpool make a move for him to replace Salah? Probably not, given he’s now 30, but there are rumours that he could be Premier League-bound, with Leeds United supposedly interested.
Brandt left Bayer Leverkusen to join Borussia Dortmund in 2019, and after seven fine seasons there, he has left for new beginnings.
In total, he recorded 124 goal involvements (57G 67A) in 307 games for BVB, including 11 goals and five assists in 41 games last season.
Only Serhou Guirassy (22) scored more for the club in all competitions in 2025-26, while only Julian Ryerson (42) created more chances from open play than Brandt (38).
He is also quite versatile, having played 50% of his time in the Bundesliga last season on the left wing, 38% on the right, and the rest centrally.
Lorenzo Pellegrini
Another player who said goodbye to his club after many years of service, Lorenzo Pellegrini began his career at Roma before moving to Sassuolo for two years between 2015 and 2017.
He returned to the Giallorossi in 2017 thanks to a buy-back clause, and spent nine years there before leaving this summer.
In total, he managed 62 goals and 58 assists in 349 games for Roma, and spent several seasons as captain of the club. He led them in 2021-22 to winning the inaugural UEFA Conference League, also winning the Player of the Tournament.
Since his first goal for Roma in 2017-18, only Hakan Çalhanoglu (80) and Mario Pasalic (68) have scored more goals than Pellegrini (62) among Serie A midfielders across all competitions.
Relations between Roma and Juventus are a bit strained after the latter nipped in and agreed a contract with Zeki Celik just as he seemed to be about to renew his deal with Roma, and now Juve are being linked with a move for Pellegrini.
Should it happen, we will be there with popcorn when the two are scheduled to next meet in December.
Raphaël Guerreiro
It sounds like a backhanded compliment, but Raphaël Guerreiro has been a solid hand wherever he’s been.
After making a name for himself in Ligue 1, he moved to Borussia Dortmund in 2016, where he made 224 appearances, recording 40 goals and 42 assists, despite mostly playing left-back.
He then made the move along the well-trodden path from Dortmund to Bayern Munich on a free transfer in 2023. It was perhaps a surprise move at the age of 29, but Guerreiro proved to be a good squad option at the Allianz Arena.
His versatility proved to be the most valuable asset. The Portugal international featured at left-back, right-back, midfield, and even on both wings. In total, he scored 14 goals and provided seven assists in 95 games for Bayern.
Guerreiro has been linked with a move to Milan, with reports suggesting it would be as a replacement for Aston Villa-linked Pervis Estupiñán, so he would presumably be predominantly back in his main position of left-back.
Another free agent is England centre-back John Stones, and for more on him and where he could be heading this summer, read on below:
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