Skip to main content

Edinson Cavani Gómez

Cavani, Ibrahimovic and football's 2020 free agents facing contract limbo amid coronavirus chaos

Manchester United, Milan and Paris Saint-Germain are among the major European outfits who are due to farewell high-profile players when free agency comes into force on June 30.

Domestic leagues across the world appear increasingly likely to run beyond that deadline, meaning sides up and down the divisions could be forced to renegotiate deals beyond the typical expiry date.

It remains to be seen how governing bodies will approach the unfamiliar territory but Edinson Cavani, Mario Gotze and Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be watching closely like dozens more across Europe's top five leagues.

These are the stars and solid supporting cast members whose contract situations are worth monitoring in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

LaLiga

Athletic Bilbao: Aritz Aduriz (retiring), Benat, Mikel San Jose
Atletico Madrid: Antonio Adan
Espanyol: Ander Iturraspe
Granada: Roberto Soldado
Real Valladolid: Hatem Ben Arfa
Sevilla: Ever Banega (joining Al Shabab at end of contract), Nolito
Valencia: Ezequiel Garay
Villarreal: Santi Cazorla 

Premier League

Bournemouth: Ryan Fraser
Burnley: Joe Hart
Chelsea: Olivier Giroud, Pedro, Willian
Liverpool: Adam Lallana, Nathaniel Clyne
Manchester City: David Silva (confirmed he will leave at end of contract)
Manchester United: Nemanja Matic, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Odion Ighalo (loan ends)
Newcastle United: Matty Longstaff
Tottenham: Jan Vertonghen, Japhet Tanganga

Serie A

Atalanta: Jose Luis Palomino
Hellas Verona: Fabio Borini
Inter: Ashley Young
Juventus: Gianluigi Buffon
Milan: Lucas Biglia, Giacomo Bonaventura, Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Napoli: Jose Callejon, Dries Mertens

Bundesliga

Bayer Leverkusen: Charles Aranguiz
Borussia Dortmund: Mario Gotze, Lukasz Piszczek
Hertha Berlin: Salomon Kalou
Schalke: Benjamin Stambouli
Wolfsburg: Robin Knoche

Ligue 1

Lille: Loic Remy
Monaco: Jemerson
Nice: Walter Benitez, Arnaud Lusamba
Paris Saint-Germain: Edinson Cavani, Thomas Meunier, Tanguy Kouassi, Layvin Kurzawa, Thiago Silva

Gremio president hopes to tempt Cavani to Brazil

Cavani is a free agent, having left Paris Saint-Germain at the end of his contract in June after seven successful seasons in Paris.

The club's all-time record goal-scorer with 200 in all competitions, Cavani has been linked with a host of European clubs including Inter, Bayern Munich and, more recently, Barcelona.

It has also been suggested the 33-year-old could choose to return to South America, with Gremio among the clubs said to be interested.

Vice-president Paulo Luz denied holding talks with Cavani's representative, but Romildo does not appear ready to abandon the dream of signing the Uruguay star.

"He [Cavani's agent] didn't make a proposal. But in life, if you don't talk, you don't know anything," he told Hora do Consular.

"Suddenly, there is chemistry, something different, empathy, a desire, and then suddenly it happens.

"Rationally, if things were under normal conditions, we wouldn't have the slightest expectation of bringing in this player because he wants to play in Europe, he will have offers a thousand times greater than those that a South American and Brazilian team can offer.

"Now, if he has it in his head, his idea, his desire, to do a project that is close to his home, close to his businesses and close to Uruguay, I believe he could sit down with us.

"I have this expectation that he has this feeling, and that he can talk to us a little more."

Cavani won 19 trophies, including six Ligue 1 titles, after joining PSG from Napoli in 2013 for a reported fee of €64million.