€105m Pogba, €145m Mbappe, €105m Dembele & the most expensive Bosman exits

Martin Macdonald

• 19 Jan 2022 10:24 CST
• 4 min read

In the summer of 2022, the football world will see an unprecedented level of expensive superstars leave their clubs for free.

The year previous in 2021, legendary figures Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos both left Barcelona and Real Madrid for free, heading to Paris Saint-Germain.

Although they are two of the biggest names around, neither cost the Clasico sides a significant transfer fee.

Player power is at its peak in the game, which is why more and more players are deciding to move on to pastures new.

From the club's perspective, some stars are seen as more valuable to keep around for the final six months of their contract before leaving on a Bosman, rather than parent clubs scrambling to get a decent transfer fee in the January transfer window.

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Here is a selection of stars who have, or who are about to, leave massive clubs for free after previously arriving for an exorbitant fee.

Kylian Mbappe - cost Paris Saint-Germain €145m

PSG initially signed Kylian Mbappe on loan from Monaco before purchasing him outright for €145m, making him the second most expensive footballer of all time behind team-mate Neymar.

Even with that deal, Mbappe has never really hidden his desire to one day player for Real Madrid and it appears that in 2022 he will finally get his wish, as Los Blancos are poised to sign him as a free agent when his PSG contract expires.

The French giants are naturally keen to keep a player who is already one of the best in the world despite his young age, and even rejected a mammoth €200m bid from Madrid on deadline in 2021 to keep him around in the hope of convincing the player to sign a new deal.

But, a switch to Santiago Bernabeu is now inevitable.

Paul Pogba - cost Manchester United €105m

At the moment, it seems as though Pogba himself wants a move away, and while Manchester United would like him to stay, an exit appears to be a matter of when, not if.

Man Utd have offered him a contract extension, but the Frenchman rejected that back in 2021, and is yet to be offered an improved deal.

He seems to be on his way out of the club, although where his next destination will be is currently unknown.

A lot was expected of the World Cup winner when Man Utd made him their record signing, but it looks like he is set for an acrimonious departure.

Ousmane Dembele - cost Barcelona €105m

Dembele's contract with the Camp Nou side expires in June of 2022, and the club are facing the real possibility of losing a player that they signed for an initial €105 million for nothing.

The Frenchman's representatives and Barca have been locked in talks for months now, though the latest round of negotiations reportedly broke down due to Dembele's exorbitant wage demands.

Barcelona's current financial situation is so poor that they will actively seek to sell Dembele in January in order to get some kind of transfer fee back, rather than allowing him to go for free in the summer.

Should no suitors emerge this month, though, he will leave for free.

Gareth Bale - cost Real Madrid €100m

It is becoming a near certainty that Gareth Bale will leave Real Madrid when his contract expires in the summer of 2022.

The Welshman became the most expensive player in history at the time when he joined Los Blancos from Tottenham for £100 million in 2013.

He has gone on to enjoy huge success in the Spanish capital, winning two La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey, and no less than four Champions League titles.

Bale also scored crucial goals in two of the finals in those Champions League victories.

Over the last two years, however, his stock has dramatically fell at Real Madrid, and he will not be missed at all when he eventually departs.

Edinson Cavani - cost Paris Saint-Germain €64m

Edinson Cavani became PSG's greatest ever goalscorer in his final season with the club before leaving in rather sour circumstances.

Sent into the shadows following the acquisitions of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, the Uruguayan was allowed to leave for free despite PSG initially paying €64m to sign him from Napoli in 2013.

The club, obviously, doesn't need the money, and didn't seem too bothered when he joined Manchester United for free.

He is actually set to leave United on another Bosman this summer, but didn't cost the Premier League side a fee.