Pogba, Eriksen and the players to move on a Free Transfer this summer
Cameron Smith
- Updated: 2 Sept 2022 22:39 BST
- 8 min read
Paul Pogba, Christian Eriksen, Paulo Dybala and Franck Kessie are just four examples of players to move on a free transfer so far this summer.
Free transfers have become an increasing vital tool for leading clubs in the market, and the summer of 2022 has simply confirmed their importance, with high value players available for transfer without requiring a transfer fee.
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This window has already seen several big moves with no transfer fee attached. For example, Ousmane Dembele decided to sign a second deal Barcelona in order to continue his stay at Camp Nou, but he was a free agent for several days after his first contract the club expired.
On the other hand, his international team-mate Pogba opted to leave Manchester United to re-join Juventus after his deal at Old Trafford expired, although he picked up an injury just weeks into his second spell at Juventus.
However, Pogba isn’t the only free transfer arrival for the Bianconeri this summer, either, with Angel Di Maria also joining the club on a Bosman deal. Paulo Dybala left Turin to join Roma on a free deal.
Barcelona have also been active in the free agent market, picking up Franck Kessie, Marcos Alonso, Hector Bellerin and Andreas Christensen for nothing from Milan and Chelsea respectively.
Luka Jovic’s move to Fiorentina, Arturo Vidal’s transfer to Flamengo and Aaron Ramsey's move to Nice aren’t included in this list as their contracts didn’t expire this month, they were simply let go after a contract termination.
Free agents: The best players available on a Bosman Transfer
Out of contract in 2023: The best free agents available on a Bosman
FootballTransfers lists the key free transfer deals that have taken place so far this summer.
Premier League free transfer signings
| Player | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Christian Eriksen | Brentford | Man Utd |
| Ivan Perisic | Inter | Tottenham |
| Jesse Lingard | Man Utd | Nottingham Forest |
| Boubacar Kamara | Marseille | Aston Villa |
| Stefan Ortega | Arminia Bielefeld | Man City |
| Thomas Strakosha | Lazio | Brentford |
| James Tarkowski | Burnley | Everton |
| Fraser Forster | Southampton | Tottenham |
| Sam Johnstone | West Brom | Crystal Palace |
| Malcolm Eboiwei | Derby | Crystal Palace |
| Ben Mee | Burnley | Brentford |
| Mateusz Lis | Altay | Southampton |
| Ryan Fredericks | West Ham | Bournemouth |
| Joe Rothwell | Blackburn | Bournemouth |
| Wayne Hennessey | Crystal Palace | Nottingham Forest |
| Neto | Barcelona | Bournemouth |
| Willian | Corinthians | Fulham |
| Alex Smithies | Cardiff | Leicester |
| Joel Robles | Betis | Leeds |
Antonio Conte has been reunited with his former Inter Milan pupil Ivan Perisic, while Erik ten Hag has also linked back up with Christian Eriksen, who trained with Ajax and then played for Brentford after leaving San Siro in 2021.
Aston Villa have snatched one of France’s most promising young midfielders in Boubacar Kamara, while Stefan Ortega has arrived as Ederson’s back-up at Manchester City.
Frank Lampard has addressed the issues in the Everton backline by adding Burnley’s James Tarkowski, while Thomas Strakosha will compete with David Raya for a starting spot at Brentford.
Ben Mee joined Tarkowski in leaving Burnley to return to the Premier League, signing for Thomas Frank's Brentford along with Strakosha.
Jesse Lingard was one of a group of players to leave Manchester United upon their contract expiry this summer and has joined Nottingham Forest, despite interest from West Ham.
La Liga free transfer signings
| Player | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Antonio Rudiger | Chelsea | Real Madrid |
| Andreas Christensen | Chelsea | Barcelona |
| Franck Kessie | Milan | Barcelona |
| Axel Witsel | Borussia Dortmund | Atletico Madrid |
| Luiz Felipe | Lazio | Real Betis |
| Pepe Reina | Lazio | Villarreal |
| Samu Castillejo | Milan | Valencia |
| Sergio Asenjo | Villerreal | Real Valladolid |
| Jose Luis Morales | Levante | Villarreal |
| Ruben Pena | Villarreal | Osasuna |
| Joselu | Alaves | Espanyol |
| Unai Lopez | Athletic Bilbao | Rayo Vallecano |
| Joseba Zaldua | Real Sociedad | Cadiz |
| Martin Braithwaite | Barcelona | Espanyol |
| Kiko Casilla | Leeds | Getafe |
| Adnan Januzaj | Real Sociedad | Sevilla |
| Fernando Pacheco | Alaves | Almeria |
| Isco | Real Madrid | Sevilla |
| Charly Musonda | Chelsea | Levante |
| Marcos Alonso | Chelsea | Barcelona |
| Hector Bellerin | Arsenal | Barcelona |
Former Chelsea defensive duo Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen have caught the eye this summer with their moves to Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively.
The Danish international isn’t the only free transfer arrival at Barcelona this summer though, with Franck Kessie joining from AC Milan.
Axel Witsel has left Borussia Dortmund to join Atletico Madrid, while Copa del Rey winners Real Betis have added the quality of Luiz Felipe and Betis' neighbours Sevilla swooped to bring Isco in from Madrid.
Serie A free transfer signings
| Player | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Paul Pogba | Man Utd | Juventus |
| Angel Di Maria | PSG | Juventus |
| Paulo Dybala | Juventus | Roma |
| Henrikh Mkhiteryan | Roma | Inter |
| Andre Onana | Ajax | Inter |
| Divock Origi | Liverpool | Milan |
| Nemanja Matic | Man Utd | Roma |
| Matias Vecino | Inter | Lazio |
| Alessio Romagnoli | Milan | Lazio |
| Andrea Ranocchia | Inter | Monza |
| Mattia Destro | Genoa | Empoli |
| Nuehen Perez | Atletico Madrid | Udinese |
| Mile Svilar | Benfica | Roma |
| Tomas Rincon | Torino | Sampdoria |
| Festy Obosele | Derby | Udinese |
| Salvatore Sirigu | Genoa | Napoli |
Juventus have yet again stolen the headlines in the free transfer market by signing Pogba, Di Maria and Dybala. The Old Lady have been experts in making Bosman moves in recent years, with Andrea Pirlo, Sami Khedira and Pogba himself back in 2012, three examples of successful free transfers.
Pogba’s former Man Utd team-mate Nemanja Matic has also arrived in Serie A, linking up with Jose Mourinho for the third time in his career, this time at Roma.
Liverpool icon Divock Origi has left Anfield to join reigning Scudetto champions AC Milan.
Bundesliga free transfer signings
| Player | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Niklas Sule | Bayern Munich | Borussia Dortmund |
| Noussair Mazraoui | Ajax | Bayern Munich |
| Matthias Ginter | Borussia Monchengladbach | Freiburg |
| Randal Kolo Muani | Nantes | Eintracht Frankfurt |
| Jonjoe Kenny | Everton | Hertha Berlin |
| Niklas Stark | Hertha Berlin | Werder Bremen |
| Maya Yoshida | Sampdoria | Schalke |
| Oliver Burke | Sheffield United | Werder Bremen |
| Danny da Costa | Eintracht Frankfurt | Mainz |
| Mitchell Weiser | Bayer Leverkusen | Werder Bremen |
| Michael Gregoritsch | Augsburg | Freiburg |
| Jordi Osei-Tutu | Arsenal | Bochum |
| Anthony Caci | Strasbourg | Mainz |
| Danilho Doekhi | Vitesse | Union Berlin |
| Grischa Promel | Union Berlin | Hoffenheim |
| Jordan Larsson | Spartak | Schalke |
Bayern have been busy in the transfer market this summer, with free signing Noussair Mazraoui set to provide competition for Benjamin Pavard at right-back.
The Bavarians have lost Niklas Sule, however, on a Bosman deal to their rivals Borussia Dortmund. Former BVB star Matthias Ginter has joined Freiburg from Borussia Monchengladbach.
Ligue 1 free transfer signings
| Player | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Alexandre Lacazette | Arsenal | Lyon |
| Corentin Tolisso | Bayern Munich | Lyon |
| Steve Mandanda | Marseille | Rennes |
| Chancel Mbemba | Prto | Marseille |
| Karamoko Dembele | Celtic | Brest |
| Wahbi Khazri | St. Etienne | Montpellier |
| Jonas Martin | Rennes | Lille |
| Maxime Gonalons | Granada | Clermont |
| Remy Cabella | Montpellier | Lille |
| Akim Zedadka | Clermont | Lille |
| Thomas Delaine | Metz | Strasbourg |
| Alexis Sanchez | Inter Milan | Marseille |
| Ismaily | Shakhtar Donetsk | Lille |
| Aaron Ramsey | Juventus | Nice |
Lyon have dipped into the free transfer market to re-sign two of their former stars. Alexandre Lacazette has returned from Arsenal, while Corentin Tolisso has re-joined from Bayern Munich.
2020/21 champions Lille have strengthened their squad by adding three players on a free transfer, namely Jonas Martin, Remy Cabella and Akim Zedadka.
Marseille, meanwhile, have clinched one of the more eye-catching deals of the summer by bringing in Alexis Sanchez from Inter.
Rest of the World free transfer signings
| Player | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Gareth Bale | Real Madrid | LAFC |
| Giorgio Chiellini | Juventus | LAFC |
| Lorenzo Insigne | Napoli | Toronto |
| Federico Bernadeschi | Juventus | Toronto |
| Douglas Costa | Juventus | LA Galaxy |
| Dani Alves | Barcelona | Pumas |
| Fernandinho | Man City | Athletico Paranaense |
| Roman Burki | Borussia Dortmund | St Louis City |
| Jose Callejon | Fiorentina | Granada |
| David Ospina | Napoli | Al-Nassr |
| Burak Yilmaz | Lille | Fortuna Sittard |
| Romain Saiss | Wolves | Besiktas |
| Marcal | Wolves | Botafogo |
| Xavi Simons | PSG | PSV |
| Sime Vrsaljko | Atletico Madrid | Olympiacos |
| Lucas Leiva | Lazio | Gremio |
| Cenk Tosun | Everton | Besiktas |
| Andriy Yarmolenko | West Ham | Al-Ain |
| Hector Herrera | Atletico Madrid | Houston Dynamo |
| Marwin Hitz | Borussia Dortmund | Basel |
| Mario Gaspar | Villarreal | Watford |
| Emre Mor | Celta Vigo | Karagumruk |
| Walter Benitez | Nice | PSV |
| Jose Callejon | Fiorentina | Granada |
| Jens Stryger Larsen | Udinese | Trabzonspor |
| Dries Mertens | Napoli | Galatasaray |
| Sergio Romero | Venezia | Boca |
| Matt Miazga | Chelsea | Cincinnati |
| Riqui Puig | Barcelona | La Galaxy |
| Arturo Vidal | Inter | Flamengo |
| Luis Suarez | Atletico | Nacional |
| Nahuel Bustos | Man City | Sao Paulo |
| Carl Jenkinson | Nottingham Forest | Newcastle (AUS) |
| Paco Alcacer | Villarreal | Al Sharjah |
Gareth Bale’s move from Real Madrid to Los Angeles FC is the biggest free transfer move outside Europe, but it’s one of several to the MLS.
The Wales international will be accompanied by Douglas Costa, Giorgio Chiellini, Lorenzo Insigne, Federico Bernadeschi and Hector Herrera in the United States.
Both Lucas Leiva and Fernandinho have left Europe to return to Brazil, while Luis Suarez caused a huge stir with his homecoming to Uruguay and boyhood club Nacional. Former Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero also returned to South America, choosing giants Boca Juniors as his next destination.
Read more about: UEFA Champions League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Premier League, Barcelona, Juventus, Man Utd, Alexandre Lacazette, Andreas Christensen, André Onana, Angel Di Maria, Antonio Rüdiger, Christian Eriksen, Corentin Tolisso, Divock Origi, Gareth Bale, Giorgio Chiellini, Ivan Perisic, Lorenzo Insigne, Nemanja Matic, Niklas Süle, Paul Pogba, Paulo Dybala
