5 best players whose contracts are ending in 2022
Letting go of players on free transfers is almost never good for a club's business in the summer and winter windows.
This season has seen a number of high-profile superstars join clubs on free transfers. Memphis Depay, Georginio Wijnaldum, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos are some of the players who have left familiar places and faces to move to another big club.
Next summer could see another such exodus. Lots of big names are out of contract at the end of the 2021-22 season. Given that some of their clubs have invested a lot financially in recent times, it will be intriguing to see how they deal with this potential situation.
Here's a look at the five best players whose contracts are set to end in 2022.
#5 Paulo Dybala | Juventus
Paulo Dybala is regarded as a world-class player by many, but his fluctuating form for Juventus has raised questions.
Dybala's talent is unquestionable. La Joya joined Juventus from Parma for £36 million in 2015, and has often impressed with his excellent creative play and goalscoring ability. The Argentina international was named Serie A's Most Valuable Player for the 2019-20 season and has won five league titles with the club. Overall, Dybala has 101 goals and 42 assists in 255 matches for the Bianconeri.
However, Dybala has been linked with a move away from Juventus for some time now. He was heavily linked with Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in 2019, and there were reports that Juventus were happy to let him go then. The 27-year old stayed in Turin, however, but only had a limited impact last season due to various injury issues.
#4 Pedri | Barcelona
One of the best young players in the world, it is hard to imagine Pedri leaving Barcelona on a free transfer next season.
Admittedly, Barcelona are in poor financial condition, having let go of Lionel Messi under controversial circumstances earlier this month. Pedri, though, is one of Barcelona's most important and most valuable assets and the club will surely do all they can to ensure he stays.
The 18-year old was everpresent for Barcelona last season, impressing with his world-class technical ability, passing and intelligence. Pedri made 52 appearances for Barcelona last season and was one of Spain's best players at Euro 2020. The Spanish international went on to win silver at the Tokyo Olympics as well. Letting go of the young midfielder on a free transfer would create huge problems for Barcelona.
Also Read: Fabrizio Romano's Transfer Roundup: Arsenal transfer news, Update on Harry Kane's future and more