Pre-season friendlies are underway and squad lists are all but finalised across Europe's major leagues, yet a striking number of decorated internationals remain without a club as the summer transfer window enters its final stretch. ONE ran through the list of proven, high-profile free agents this week, and it reads like a five-a-side team of champions.
The headline name is Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian forward, 34, left Liverpool as a free agent this summer after nine years at Anfield, and multiple Turkish and English outlets report he is closing in on a move to Beşiktaş. His camp had initially been linked with a lucrative switch to Saudi Arabia, but reports from Turkey suggest Salah and his family are reluctant to relocate to the Gulf and would prefer Istanbul.
Beşiktaş's club president has confirmed talks took place, while accusing Salah's representatives of raising their financial demands once the interest went public. Reported terms have ranged as high as €12.5 million a year, but as of this week no deal had been signed or officially announced by either side.
Dušan Vlahović is the other headline forward on the market. The Serbian striker's Juventus contract expired on June 30 after wage negotiations broke down — his camp had been seeking a base salary in the region of €8 million net plus significant signing bonuses, well above what Juventus was prepared to offer. Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Newcastle United and Barcelona have all made contact with his representatives, making the 26-year-old one of the most sought-after free agents of the summer.
David Alaba's situation is a reminder of how fast a career can turn. Real Madrid confirmed the Austrian defender's free-agent departure after five seasons in the Spanish capital, during which he won two La Liga titles and two Champions League crowns following his own free transfer from Bayern Munich in 2021. A ruptured ACL suffered in December 2023 cost him roughly 13 months on the sidelines and has clouded the end of his time at the Bernabéu. He leaves alongside club captain Dani Carvajal, whose own free-agent exit from Madrid was confirmed separately.
Leon Goretzka completes the list of headline departures. The German midfielder left Bayern Munich as a free agent after eight seasons once his contract expired this summer, ending a trophy-laden spell at the record Bundesliga champions. Juventus have been the most consistent suitors, reportedly discussing a deal worth around €7 million net plus a signing bonus near €10 million, though Arsenal, Tottenham, AC Milan and MLS side Chicago Fire have all been credited with interest at various points.
ONE frames the group as an unusually rich crop for any club still shopping this late in the window — proven winners and full internationals available without a transfer fee, at a stage of the summer when most rosters are supposed to be set.
None of the moves described is finished business. Salah's Beşiktaş switch, in particular, is still being negotiated rather than signed, and Vlahović's and Goretzka's next clubs remain unresolved as talks continue with several suitors apiece. The one certainty is that all four have already left their previous employers, and whichever teams do land them will be getting proven quality at no transfer cost.
