Transfer news: 50 players who are out of contract in 2018 and could be looking for cut-price January moves

These players are free to negotiate summer moves with foreign clubs in January

With the New Year fast approaching, unsettled players will be assessing their options ahead of the January transfer window.

January is far from the ideal time for clubs to do business. With the window falling half way through the domestic season, sides are often reluctant to part with their most-prized assets with little time to source replacements.

Players that are made available have often had a disappointing season or have been a disruptive presence in the dressing room. In the past the January transfer window has seen players such as Luis Suarez, Juan Mata, Andy Carroll and Fernando Torres make big-money moves.

Despite an apparent lack of value in the January window, there are still bargains to be had, thanks in part to the 1995 Bosman ruling. In 1990, Former player Jean-Marc Bosman was in a dispute with his current side RFC Liege after two unsuccessful years with the club, and wanted to sign for French side Dunkirk who had offered him an improved contract. Liege refused to let Bosman sign for the French second division side leading to a court battle lasting five years.

The Bosman ruling allows players to leave their club on a free once their contract has expired, giving players the power to demand signing-on-fees and bonuses with their new clubs due to the lack of a transfer fee. Players entering the last six months of their contracts are now, as a result of this, often attainable at a reduced price with their clubs eager to cash in on any remaining value before their players’ contracts expire in the summer.

Pre-contract agreements with foreign clubs can also be negotiated as of 1 January for players entering the last six months of their contracts; with players such as Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez running down their contracts with Arsenal in knowing that they both have clubs interested in signing them for free in the summer.

Scroll through the gallery at the top of the page for a list of 50 players entering the last six months of their contract, will your club be tempted to pursue their signature?