These players across Europe are out of contract in 2026
We identify a couple of players who are all believed to have expiring contracts in 2026, from many Barcelona players being available, to a potential exit for Georgia Stanway at Bayern Munich
January is the time when transfers and contract extensions tend to be talking points within the news cycle, and it is always interesting to see which players are entering the final six months of their deals, plus whether they decide to stay at their respective clubs or maybe even consider their next options for next season.
We’ve written about the WSL in our previous article and now we want to focus on a couple of European clubs from Spain, Germany, France and Sweden, where there are a number of big names who will be thinking about their futures over the next few months.
A few deals for Barcelona to sort out
Barcelona’s financial constraints have been a talking point in the women’s game for a short while now, and 2026 could be a year that truly impacts their squad when you take into account many of the names who have expiring contracts this summer. The financial issues that have impacted the men’s team are now being felt on the women’s team, which makes a few renewals less than straightforward, especially when you remember players they did let go in the summer.
Out of all the big names on the list, Alexia Putellas is one of the standouts with the two-time Ballon d’Or winner out of contract in June. Surely, Barcelona wouldn’t want to lose one of their top players, and it’s not like the 31-year-old is regressing in any way, as she has really come back to form over the last 12 months with some of the performances she has shown for both Barcelona and Spain. The issue is that it is a deal that will probably cost a bit for them, but you have to think they should be doing all they can to keep her.
It has been reported around though that there is an option in Putellas’ contract to extend for an extra year, which is a likely scenario if that is true. But in the case where she did leave, then there’s bound to be a hell of a lot of demand for her by so many clubs.
Alexia Putellas will take the headlines in terms of Barca’s list of players who could leave this year. However, the Liga F champions should also be working to make sure they don’t potentially lose either of Ona Batlle or Caroline Graham Hansen. Defender Mapí Leon is also out of contract in the summer, as is forward Salma Paralluelo. Last summer, there were rumours of Barcelona being open to offers for Paralluelo, which is surprising as she is a player with such a high ceiling. Granted, her performances before being injured this season were not great, but you could see being a huge get for any club if she left the Spanish side.
Other notable names in Liga F
It isn’t just Barcelona where some big names will be thinking of their futures. Real Madrid will be wary of a few of their players who are currently set to have their contracts expire in 2026, one of those being the Scottish forward Caroline Weir.
Since she joined in 2022, she has been one of the most influential players at the club, and to lose a player like her would be a big blow to their aims at closing the gap on Barcelona in Liga F. Caroline Weir would certainly be in demand for a lot of clubs if she did leave Real Madrid. Elsewhere at the club, goalkeeper Misa Rodriguez, defenders María Méndez and Maëlle Lakrar, and midfielders Filippa Angeldahl and Teresa Abelleira all have expiring deals as well.
Atlético Madrid have their own extensive list, with midfielder Vilde Bøe Risa being one of the more notable names. Current third-placed side Real Sociedad also have a few players they may want to keep around after this summer.
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Could Georgia Stanway leave Bayern Munich?
Potentially one of the big stories of this January transfer window could be the future of Georgia Stanway, with some rumoured interest in her being reported by Emma Sanders for BBC Sport. Sports Bild also reported a while ago that she could leave on a free transfer once her deal expires.
It has been mentioned that Arsenal are said to have held talks with the England midfielder. No other WSL club has been mentioned at the time of writing. Stanway’s contract at her current club Bayern Munich expires this summer, and that will seemingly have a few clubs wondering if they can tempt her to make a move. It should also be said that an offer is there for Stanway to actually extend her time at the Frauen Bundesliga leaders.
If Arsenal are one of the frontrunners for Stanway at this stage, then it is a move that would make a lot of sense when you consider the future for many of Arsenal’s current midfield options. It wouldn’t be surprising to see a few other interested clubs from the WSL wanting to sign her if she does become available.
She won’t be the only player playing in Germany currently that clubs will have an eye on. Wolfsburg’s Lineth Beerensteyn could potentially be available if she were not to sign a contract extension at her club, and the same could be said for Hoffenheim’s Selina Cerci. The German forward is currently the joint-top scorer in the league with 10 goals alongside Alexandra Popp.
Potential players available from France
Looking at players from the Arkema Prèmiere Ligue, and more in particularly OL Lyonnes and PSG, two of the standout names from them are USWNT midfielder Lindsay Heaps and Euro 2022 winning goalkeeper Mary Earps.
Earps being out of contract does certainly make the topic of her future rather interesting in terms of whether she does end up choosing to stay at PSG or focuses on finding a new challenge once the season ends, because it may be safe to say that her time in Paris hasn’t been very successful. This season alone has seen some issues at the club, more so with the exit from the Champions League at the league phase stage.
Just thinking about a potential exit scenario, where would even be an ideal destination at this time for Earps? Her stock has taken a hit both on-field and off-field when you think about those factors as well. However, it wouldn’t be all too surprising to see a few clubs be interested in her, although Earps would surely aim to keep playing at a high level wherever she would end up in that scenario. Staying in Paris shouldn’t be ruled out though at this time.
OL Lyonnes’ American midfielder Lindsay Heaps will have a few things to ponder with her current deal at the champions expiring in June. She’s been at the club for four years and has been able to have some of the best years of her career with the amount of success the club has produced domestically, and having won one Champions League title.
Right now, it is probably likely that she will end up staying a bit longer at OL Lyonnes, with the 31-year-old still seen as a rather key player in the squad and played a lot of games. A change can’t be entirely ruled out as Heaps has kind of done it all at Lyon in terms of winning things, plus she may want to return to the US at some point in her career.
Other players to note with expiring contracts are another Lyon player in Alice Sombath, although she should be expected to stay given how highly-rated she is as a defender. Paris FC’s Clara Mateo is someone to keep a look out for as a new challenge could be what she is looking for, and interest could be high in her with how well she has performed the last few seasons in Paris.
Damallsvenkan players available in 2026
We have spoken before on our podcast about how we could see a lot of January business involving players from Sweden’s Damallsvenkan, and many of those who are highly-sought after do have contracts expiring in 2026.
As of the time of writing, one of those who has been rumoured for an impending transfer to Arsenal is Hammarby’s Smilla Holmberg. The 19-year-old is a highly-rated defender who is looking set to exit the Swedish top-flight and head to the WSL. Hammarby will also be aware that forward Ellen Wangerheim’s contract being up this year, and the interest in her could heat up again this year after she had been discussed about moving to a few clubs last summer.
The 2025 champions BK Häcken have already seen two players leave the club for Tottenham, and they’ll be mindful of some others in their squad who could be available if they don’t stay beyond 2026. Tabby Tindell and Carly Wickenheiser and are just a few of the players they may be looking to keep around.
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