Seven players with expiring contracts in the summer who Charlotte FC should monitor
By Brian Maurer
Now that it is a new year players on contracts that are expiring in the summer can start negotiating with other clubs. Essentially, because the player on the expiring contract and their current club couldn’t reach an agreement other clubs can come in with an offer and the player can hold out for their contract to expire and then accept the newly negotiated offer with a new club. Clubs with players on expiring contracts lose a ton of negotiating leverage which is why talented players can end up becoming available for low transfer fees or free.
Looking at players with expiring contracts in the summer is especially interesting for MLS clubs because they may be able to hold out on making a big move until the summer and grab a high-caliber player on a free transfer. Given the amount of talent on expiring contracts in Europe and across the globe, there are several potential options for MLS clubs like Charlotte FC to monitor.
Ilkay Gundogan - Manchester City - CM - 34 when his contract expires
Ilkay Gundogan (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)
Manchester City is floundering this year and it seems like many of their old guard could be on the way out. Gundogan had already made a recent stop to Barcelona last season before returning to Manchester but his contract is expiring this summer, making the midfielder an intriguing veteran candidate in MLS.
Koke - Atletico Madrid - CM - 33 when his contract expires
Koke has spent his entire career with Atletico Madrid, so the opportunity to bring him to MLS might not be there with there also being an option year in his contract. He also likely won’t focus on negotiations as he is still a central figure of Atletico and they are in the middle of a heated La Liga title race.
More recently, Koke has not put up the assist numbers he was in early in his career. In MLS, he could rekindle that creativity especially if he is put into a system where he gets the ball a lot and pulls the strings of an attack. He is also still capable of putting in a shift defensively so the veteran midfielder’s two-way ability could entice many MLS clubs including Charlotte.
Callum Wilson - Newcastle United - CF - 33 when his contract expires
Wilson has struggled to find the field this year and it was already rumored he was going to be leaving for MLS last summer. If he is healthy when his contract ends the veteran striker seems primed for a potential tour in MLS. Atlanta United and Charlotte FC were both clubs rumored to be monitoring him in the summer of 2024.
Paulo Dybala - AS Roma - Second Striker - 31 when his contract expires
Paulo Dybala (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)
Dybala has been a top-level goal scorer and creator in Serie A for the last 10 years. He looks likely to crack over 1500 minutes in Serie A again this season so the Argentine clearly still has tread on the tires and would likely make an immediate impact in MLS.
Marco Verratti - Al-Arabi SC - CM - 32 when his contract expires
Verratti is an elite midfielder who played for Paris Saint Germain for a decade. He has been playing for Al-Arabi the past two years with his contract expiring in June. His goal contribution numbers never jumped off the page in France but he is an elite technical midfielder who would compete at a world-class level on and off the ball in MLS. Since the Italian international also has already opted to play for a Qatari club the opportunity could be there for an MLS club to pick him up this summer.
Mario Pasalic - Atalanta BC - CM - 30 when his contract expires
Pasalic is a midfielder who has played the majority of his career with Atalanta. He is a box-to-box player who also has an eye for creating and scoring goals. The Croatian international has had double-digit goal contributions in all competitions in all but two of his seven seasons with Atalanta. In the past seven years, Pasalic has averaged just north of 13 goal contributions per season in all competitions, a number that would likely go up in the right fit in MLS.
His former teammate Aleksei Miranchuk has already made the trek across the pond, so perhaps Pasalic could see an opportunity for himself as the summer approaches.
Josh Brownhill - Burnley - CM - 29 when his contract expires
Brownhill is an interesting situation. He is currently the captain for Burnley, where he has played since 2020. Burnley is also in strong contention to earn promotion back into the Premier League at the end of the season. However, Brownhill has bounced back and forth between the Championship and Premier League with Burnley the last few years so even if they do earn a promotion he may be interested in a new challenge.
The English midfielder also partnered with Charlotte FC’s Ashley Westwood a few years back so he does have a past teammate connection currently in the Carolinas.
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