Five predicted free transfer moves this summer with Arsenal, Barcelona aiming to strengthen | OneFootball

Time is running out for clubs to tie down players whose contracts expire in the summer, some of whom will already have an eye on their next moves.

Any player within the final six months of their contract can negotiate a pre-contract agreement with a club in a different country. Some will be expecting to seal big moves this summer as clubs scramble to win the race for their coveted signatures.

But there can only be one taker for each player, so where will they end up?

We’ve predicted the moves five upcoming free agents will make in the summer.

Leon Goretzka to Arsenal

Goretzka looks to be one of the most appealing free agents of the summer, some eight years after he joined Bayern Munich from Schalke without a transfer fee as well.

Although he is now 31, the experience that Goretzka possesses will be viewed as a major plus point by a number of clubs. Chief among his suitors are Arsenal and Inter Milan.

While Arsenal have learned their lessons from handing out big deals to ageing players before, they are open to strengthening with seniority if the opportunity arises.

With that in mind, they bought Christian Norgaard from Brentford last summer, but the experienced midfielder has barely been considered for starts.

Goretzka would be an upgrade to add into the Arsenal midfield ranks if they can position themselves ahead of Inter in the race to sign the German.

Inter are fond of a free agent with experience, signing the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Piotr Zielinski for their midfield without paying transfer fees over the past few years.

But Arsenal were understood to be the frontrunners a month ago and will hope to still be in the lead when Goretzka is ready to commit to a new club.

Julian Brandt to Aston Villa

While some clubs are still working on new deals for their players on expiring terms, Borussia Dortmund have already conceded defeat in their attempts to retain Julian Brandt.

The attacking midfielder has been with them for seven seasons since leaving Bayer Leverkusen in 2019, making almost 300 appearances. But it was announced over the weekend that he will be leaving in the summer.

“After open talks, we agreed that the contract that is set to expire would not be renewed,” Dortmund’s sporting director Lars Ricken told Sky Germany.

“[He has] played a few hundred games for Borussia Dortmund. I think we can only feel gratitude towards him. He spent seven years with us and was sometimes viewed critically. Today he set up another goal. I always appreciated his numbers. He’ll turn 30 in a few weeks, and we can look to move in a slightly new direction — so it can also be an opportunity for both sides.”

Sources have informed TEAMtalk that Brandt is keen to test himself in the Premier League and his representatives have contacted England’s top clubs.

Aston Villa are one of his longest-standing suitors, and although they face competition from the likes of Newcastle United, they will hope their perseverance in the race to sign him pays off.

That could be increasingly important in a summer during which Morgan Rogers is likely to attract interest from elsewhere, even if they’d prefer to keep him.

Andy Robertson to Celtic

Liverpool have a couple of defenders coming towards the end of their contracts. Ibrahima Konate has been offered fresh terms, but remains of interest to clubs in Europe, making his future hard to nail down at the moment.

As for Andy Robertson, a parting of ways with Liverpool looks more likely in the summer after nine years of service.

Tottenham tried to sign the left-back in January and could yet return for him at the end of the season, but by then, an emotional move to Celtic could be on the agenda for the Scotland captain.

Former Liverpool teammate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, now at Celtic, recently said: “He might join me soon, he’s a bit younger than me, Robbo.

“I’d hope to see him here one day. I think he’d be amazing.”

Reflecting on his recent chance to leave Liverpool for Spurs, Robertson has stated: “There was obviously interest there – there were discussions had with both sets of clubs. But the decision was that I wanted to stay. We stayed at Liverpool and that was the decision made.

“I was never not committed. I’ve been committed to Liverpool for the last eight and a half or nine years now and I’ll be committed until I’m no longer needed.”

As a boyhood Celtic fan, it’s easy to see Robertson being tempted to Parkhead in the summer if Liverpool release him.

True, Celtic already have Kieran Tierney at left-back, but they have long since found a way to coexist for Scotland, so there should still be room for Robertson to secure an emotional move.

Bernardo Silva to Benfica

A City exit for Silva has been speculated for a while, but finally looks likely to materialise this summer when his contract runs down.

Barcelona continue to be linked with the often under-appreciated midfielder, who has also been touted for a move to Juventus or even the Saudi Pro League.

But another possible move to keep an eye out for is a return to Benfica, the club where he started his career but only made one league appearance before being snapped up by Monaco.

Silva is believed to be interested in a return to the Portuguese side, who now have the added allure of being coached by Jose Mourinho.

He will leave City as a legend, having spent nine seasons in Manchester and won (at least) six Premier League trophies.

He would likely get a heroic reception by re-joining Benfica too, and at the age of 31 he still has a lot of top-level football to play.

Marcos Senesi to Barcelona

Bournemouth lost two of their main centre-backs last summer when Real Madrid activated Dean Huijsen’s release clause and PSG bought Illya Zabarnyi.

This summer, they look likely to lose another, since Marcos Senesi will be the subject of a widespread transfer battle if he becomes a free agent.

With four seasons of Premier League experience, Senesi has caught the attention of clubs like Newcastle, Sunderland, Tottenham and more.

But the prospect of a move to Barcelona has turned the Argentine’s head. A source stated last month: “There is a lot of interest in Marcos, but when Barcelona are interested, that is tough to ignore. He has not ruled out anything as yet, but fair to say Barca is a huge lure.”

Barcelona are currently lacking a left-footed centre-back and they have often relied on the free-agent pool to reinforce their squad in recent years.

Being a Spanish speaker is another reason Senesi would be a smart pickup for Hansi Flick’s side.