14 World Cup Players Still Out of Contract
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- John Stones left Manchester City after a decade with 15 major trophies and has been linked with Everton and AC Milan, though Thomas Tuchel still picked the 32-year-old for England despite recent injury issues.
- Casemiro was released by Manchester United due to his wages despite an outstanding final campaign at Old Trafford, and is expected to join Inter Miami after scoring Brazil's equaliser in their comeback win against Japan.
- David Alaba left Real Madrid after five years with 12 league titles and four Champions Leagues to his name, but despite speculation of interest, the 33-year-old Austrian has not signed for anyone yet.
- Mohamed Salah departed Liverpool after a publicly deteriorating relationship with Arne Slot, who has also left the club, with the 33-year-old Egyptian widely expected to move to the Saudi Pro League once Egypt's World Cup run ends.
- Luka Modric is out of contract at AC Milan, who hold an option to extend the 40-year-old's deal by a year; the Croatian veteran recovered from a poor showing against England to help set up a knockout clash with Portugal.
- James Rodriguez could be looking for his fifth club in under three years, with Minnesota United holding a six-month extension option that may be unrealistic given he made only six first-half-of-season appearances.
- The full list of 14 free agents still in the tournament also includes Thomas Partey, Xaver Schlager, Thomas Meunier, Orjan Nyland, Fabinho, Nabil Bentaleb, Gideon Mensah, and Abdul Mumin.
Why it matters: For clubs, the World Cup knockout stage now doubles as an open audition: 14 out-of-contract players — including a Ballon d'Or winner, a Champions League veteran, and Premier League icons — are performing under the brightest spotlight in football with no club paying their wages, giving suitors a risk-free evaluation window before free transfers commence July 1.
