Argentina winger Angel Di Maria was once again crucial and scored the winning goal on Thursday for Juventus against Freiburg in a 1-0 win in the Europa League Round of 16 first leg. Di Maria arrived at the Italian club last summer after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expired and signed a one-year deal with the Bianconeri. Juventus want him to stay for at least another season and have already started talking with his agents about a potential new deal. Di Maria has scored eight goals so far this season for Juve and has been red hot after winning the World Cup with Argentina, netting five of them in the last five games.
Let’s take a tour of Europe to find out who the potential best free agents will be in the summer of 2023. Inter Milan defender Skriniar is not on this list as he has already signed a pre-agreement with PSG from of this summer, and we left Karim Benzema off the list because he should do as he always has done, sign a short-term contract to stay at Real Madrid.
Here are the top five potential free agents ranked:
5. AV Roberto Firmino
- Age: 31
- Current clubs: liverpool
- Potential suitors: Inter, Real Madrid
Roberto Firmino and Liverpool have officially decided to end their relationship after eight successful years at the club. The Brazilian striker will definitely be one to watch this summer as he could find himself in many different leagues. There are indeed already a lot of rumors about his next destination, including Inter and Real Madrid, who are likely to sign a new striker this summer.
4. MID N’Golo Kante
- Age: 31
- Current clubs: chelsea
- Potential suitors: Chelsea, PSG
The French midfielder is running out of contract with Chelsea after joining the club in the summer of 2016 from Leicester. Kante is still thinking about his future and he could also decide to stay in the end if he finds an agreement with the English club. If he decides to leave, it’s likely that many clubs will try to sign him and PSG have always been interested in him in recent years.
3. AV, Angel Di Maria
- Age: 34
- Current clubs: Juventus
- Potential suitors: Juventus, Rosario Central
The Argentine is entering the final weeks of his contract with the Italian club and his future will mostly depend on his personal decision. Di Maria decided to stay in Europe for another year to play in the 2022 World Cup which he later won in Qatar with Argentina. His decision in the summer of 2022 when he joined Juventus was between the Italian side and Rosario Central, his boyhood club. It is still possible that he decides to return to Argentina to play his last years as a professional footballer.
2. MID Ilkay Gundogan
- Age: 32
- Current clubs: Manchester City
- Potential suitors: Manchester City, FC Barcelona
The German midfielder could decide to leave the English club this summer after playing seven years at Manchester City. It’s not yet clear whether the two sides will decide whether to extend the deal or not, but in case he doesn’t, clubs like FC Barcelona are said to be ready to sign him for years to come. However, a final decision is expected in the coming weeks.
1. AV Lionel Messi
- Age: 35
- Current clubs: PSG
- Potential suitors: PSG, FC Barcelona, Inter Miami, Newell’s Old Boys
Lionel Messi is coming off another disappointing UEFA Champions League Round of 16 result as PSG were knocked out by Bayern Munich on Wednesday. After winning the 2022 World Cup with Argentina, he will now be called upon to make another decision about his future. As always, there are plenty of rumors swirling about him as PSG continue to discuss a new deal with their representatives, but there have been no updates in recent weeks. FC Barcelona are dreaming of a return but will have to deal with the club’s financial situation, while Inter Miami are also in the race to sign the Argentine star. Finally, Newell’s Argentina side Old Boys are always on the radar when it comes to Messi as he never played for his boyhood team.