Contract expirations do not always create drama on day one. They build quietly with every unchanged status, every stalled meeting, every cautious quote in a press conference. Supporters start to talk, directors start to plan, agents start to circle.
It forms a cloud that hovers over squads until clarity breaks.
The summer of 2026 carries that feeling already. A group of Premier League names, all important in their own ways, are reaching the final stretch of their deals. Some are past their athletic peak but hold value through experience and leadership.
Some sit in the exact moment of their prime and know a life-changing move is available if they hold their nerve. Others simply need a new chapter.
Here are the top 10 Premier League players whose contracts expire in 2026, and why their futures matter.
10. Rico Henry
Rico Henry arrived at Brentford from Walsall back in 2016, and for years, he was one of the most consistent performers in their rise from the Championship to the Premier League. The left-back played a crucial role in helping the Bees establish themselves in the top flight, proving he belonged at this level week after week.
Things have changed this season.
Fitness problems have cost him his place in the starting lineup, and he has spent most of his appearances coming off the bench. For a player who was once so reliable, it feels like the relationship between Henry and Brentford might be winding down after nearly a decade together.
The thing is, Henry, will only be 29 when the 2026/27 season kicks off.
That means he still has good years ahead of him if he can get his body right. He already showed he can handle the demands of Premier League football when Brentford first came up.
Bottom-half clubs looking for an experienced left-back, or Championship sides aiming for promotion, could do a lot worse than picking him up on a free transfer. The question is whether Henry can rediscover the form and fitness that made him such a valuable player in the first place.
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9. Harry Wilson
September brought drama for Harry Wilson. Leeds United came calling on deadline day, and it looked like his time at Fulham was coming to an end. The club wanted to refresh their wide options, and Wilson seemed surplus to requirements.
The deal fell through at the last moment, and what looked like a setback has turned into the best thing that could have happened to him.
Wilson has been brilliant this season. Five goals and three assists in 16 games tells part of the story, but his impact goes beyond the numbers.
He has become one of the first names Marco Silva writes down on the teamsheet, bringing creativity and technical quality that has helped Fulham compete in the top half of the table. The 28-year-old Welshman looks reborn at Craven Cottage.
Silva wants to keep him. He has said as much publicly, making it clear that Wilson is part of his plans.
But David Ornstein has reported that the player is likely to leave as a free agent when summer comes around. That would be a significant loss for Fulham and a major opportunity for someone else.
Wilson brings the kind of craft and guile that mid-table teams need to push higher up the league. His technique is excellent, his decision-making has improved, and he can play across the front line.
Plenty of clubs will be watching his situation closely.
8. Yves Bissouma
Spurs paid Brighton £25 million for Yves Bissouma in June 2022, handing him a four-year contract that seemed like a solid bit of business at the time.
The Mali international has racked up 100 appearances in north London since then, showing the combative edge and ball-winning ability that made him such an impressive player on the south coast.
The path has not been smooth. Bissouma has been involved in off-field controversies that have complicated his relationship with the club and the fanbase. He was recently filmed inhaling laughing gas, which added to existing concerns about his conduct away from football.
This season, he has not played at all due to a combination of injuries and these off-field matters.
Reports suggest Tottenham are ready to move him on in January if they can find a buyer. The challenge is whether anyone will pay a fee for a player they could sign for nothing in six months.
Bissouma can still play, though. When he has been on the pitch, he has shown the qualities that made Brighton demand such a hefty fee in the first place. A team willing to take a chance on him, either in January or next summer, would be adding a capable midfielder who can do a job in the engine room.
The question is whether clubs will be put off by everything that comes with him.
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7. Casemiro
Casemiro’s Manchester United career has been a wild ride.
The Brazilian arrived from Real Madrid with five Champions League winners’ medals in his luggage, a proven winner expected to bring steel and composure to United’s midfield. At times, he has looked exactly like that. At other times, he has looked every one of his 33 years.
Jamie Carragher famously told him “the football’s left him” during a particularly rough patch, and it felt harsh but hard to argue with at the time.
Casemiro has bounced back since then, showing he can still perform at a high level when things click. The issue is consistency, and whether United can justify keeping him on wages that reportedly make him one of the highest-paid players at the club.
An extension at Old Trafford seems unlikely. United need to revamp their midfield, especially if Ruben Amorim sticks with his preferred 3-4-2-1 formation. Casemiro does not quite fit that system, and his salary makes him difficult to move. Italy could make sense for his next destination.
Former Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric has shown that veterans can thrive in Serie A, with Modric thriving at AC Milan despite being in his late thirties. A return to Brazil also feels like a natural way for Casemiro to wind down what has been a magnificent career.
He has nothing left to prove, and a homecoming would give him the chance to finish on his own terms.
6. John Stones
John Stones has spent much of his Manchester City career fighting his own body. Injuries have limited his availability season after season, preventing him from ever nailing down a truly regular spot in the side.
When he plays, though, he reminds everyone why Pep Guardiola values him so highly. Six Premier League titles and a key role for England at major tournaments speak to his quality.
Stones will turn 31 next summer, and his future at the Etihad feels uncertain for the first time in years. Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol have become the first-choice centre-back pairing, and Stones has managed just 353 minutes across seven league games this season.
That lack of playing time might push him to consider other options, even if leaving City seems unthinkable right now.
Any mid-table club looking to make a statement signing should be keeping tabs on his situation. Stones brings experience, leadership, and a level of technical ability that few defenders in the league can match. If he stays fit, he could be the difference between a team finishing 10th or pushing for Europe.
The challenge will be convincing him to leave a club where he has won everything, even if his opportunities are drying up.
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5. Andrew Robertson
Andy Robertson’s story is one of the great Premier League journeys of the last decade. From Hull City to Liverpool, from fighting relegation to winning league titles and the Champions League.
He has been one of the finest left-backs in the world during his time at Anfield, a relentless force who drives forward and defends with equal commitment.
Robertson is only 31, but change is coming. Milos Kerkez looks set to replace him as the first-choice left-back, and Liverpool have not offered him a new contract yet.
That silence speaks volumes. After everything Robertson has given the club since 2017, the lack of a renewal offer suggests both parties might be ready to move on.
Robertson has been central to two title triumphs, first under Jurgen Klopp and now under Arne Slot. His energy, his ability to deliver from wide areas, and his one-on-one defence have made him irreplaceable for years. But football moves fast, and Liverpool are clearly planning for life after their Scottish captain.
Where he ends up next summer will be fascinating. He still has plenty to offer, and any club that signs him will be getting a winner who knows what it takes to compete at the very highest level.
4. Harry Maguire
Harry Maguire went from being written off to becoming vital for Manchester United again. The 32-year-old England international has scored important goals and provided leadership in defence just when the club needed it most. He has turned doubters into believers through sheer consistency and determination.
Maguire was in talks over a new contract back in October 2025, which suggested United wanted to keep him around. But nothing has been announced yet, and the longer the silence continues, the more questions arise about his future.
He seems like the kind of player who would stay if given the chance, but United have other priorities when it comes to rebuilding their squad.
Like Stones, Maguire feels unlikely to leave as a free agent. He still offers too much, both on the pitch and in the dressing room, for United to just let him walk away. But football can surprise you, and the veteran defender might decide that a fresh challenge appeals to him after years of scrutiny and pressure at Old Trafford.
His next move, whether that means staying or going, will define the final chapter of a career that has already delivered so much.
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3. Ibrahima Konate
Ibrahima Konate has been both brilliant and frustrating during his Liverpool career. When fit, he has been a powerful presence alongside Virgil van Dijk, using his pace and physicality to dominate opposing forwards.
The problem is staying fit. Injuries have disrupted his time at Anfield repeatedly, preventing him from building the kind of consistency that turns good defenders into great ones.
At 26, Konate should be entering his prime years. Liverpool would normally be rushing to tie down a centre-back of his age and ability to a long-term deal. Instead, no agreement has been reached, and that delay is starting to feel significant.
Konate has not played at a level that demands a substantial pay rise, but other clubs around Europe are interested in him regardless.
Liverpool face a dilemma. Lose Konate for nothing, or give him the contract he wants despite his injury record and inconsistent performances.
The Reds need to make a decision soon, because once other teams can start talking to him in January, the situation could spiral out of their control quickly. Konate has the talent to be a top defender for another club if Liverpool let him go, which would make losing him for nothing all the more painful.
2. Marc Guehi
Crystal Palace turned down £65 million for Marc Guehi just 18 months ago. They wanted £70 million, holding firm in their belief that their captain was worth every penny.
Now they are facing the prospect of losing him for nothing, having rebuffed interest from Liverpool 12 months later without getting any closer to a contract extension.
Guehi has made it clear he will not renew his deal at Selhurst Park. That decision has made him one of the most sought-after free agents heading into 2026.
The 26-year-old England international has proved himself at the highest level, captaining Palace with maturity beyond his years and performing consistently well in a team that often struggles.
Liverpool remains the favourite to sign him. Reports suggest a gentleman’s agreement is already in place between the player and the club, with the Premier League champions looking to strengthen their centre-back options for the long term. Guehi fits the profile perfectly.
He is young, proven, and available for free. Palace, meanwhile, are left to reflect on how they went from rejecting £65 million to getting nothing in such a short space of time.
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1. Bernardo Silva
Bernardo Silva signed a contract extension with Manchester City in August 2023 that keeps him at the club until June 2026. The Portuguese midfielder has been at the Etihad since May 2017, and his impact during those eight years can barely be overstated.
Six Premier League titles, the Champions League in 2023, and countless moments of brilliance that have helped define City’s era of dominance.
Silva has been linked with moves away regularly. Barcelona have wanted him for years, pursuing the 31-year-old repeatedly without ever getting close to a deal.
Whether the Catalan club would still be interested now, given his age, remains unclear. What feels more certain is that Silva will leave City when his current contract expires next summer.
Saudi Arabia could be waiting. The financial power of the Saudi Pro League has already attracted some of the biggest names in football, and Silva would be a marquee signing for any club there. Playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo for both club and country would have its appeal, and the money on offer would be hard to ignore as he enters the final years of his career.
City losing Silva would mark the end of an era.
He has been one of their most important players throughout their period of unprecedented success, combining technical excellence with tactical intelligence and a work rate that belies his size. Replacing him will be nearly impossible, but City have shown time and again that they can evolve and adapt.
Silva’s leaving would hurt, but it would also create space for the next generation to step forward and make their mark.
The summer of 2026 promises to be one of the most significant transfer windows in recent memory, even if most of these moves happen without a penny changing hands.
Free agents of this quality rarely become available all at once, and the clubs smart enough to act decisively will reap the rewards for years to come.
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