FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Contract Expiry Signings Ending in 2021 (First Season)

Check out all of the players available for free at the end of the first season on FIFA 21’s Career Mode, which includes Lionel Messi and Paul Pogba.

FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Contract Expiry Signings Ending in 2021 (First Season)

FIFA 21 Career Mode looks to bring in a load of new features and improvements, but the one thing that will remain the same is the allure of top-class contract expiry signings.

Players who can become free agents make for great transfer targets in FIFA games, and as it stands, it looks like the 2021 batch of contract expiry signings is going to feature some of the best and most exciting players in the world.

Potentially featuring the likes of Lionel Messi, Paul Pogba, and Memphis Depay, at the end of the first season on Career Mode, you could be pulling in some top-class players at a minimal cost.

READ MORE: FIFA 22 Career Mode: Best Contract Expiry Signings in 2022 (First Season) and Free Agents

It should be noted, however, that landing these signings is much more difficult in FIFA 21 than in previous versions of Career Mode.

In this guide, we’ll detail how to make the most of players who see their contracts expire, on FIFA 21’s Career Mode.

How to make contract expiry signings in FIFA 21

In previous FIFA games, you could dive into pre-contract signing negotiations from 1 January, as so many teams have done in recent years of real-life football.

Many teams will take advantage of a player entering the last six months of their contract by offering them a deal for when it expires or by sending a cut-price transfer offer to the club, allowing them to recuperate some of what they may lose.

In FIFA 21, that option is all-but eradicated. You won’t be given the options to sign players in the last stint of the contract in preseason, in the January window, or once the winter transfer window closes.

EA Sports have also included a new feature which makes it less likely for top clubs to lose highly-rated players as free agents. As such, the only reliable way to target contract expiry signings is by waiting for their contracts to expire, getting them as free agents.

FIFA 21’s best available contract expiry signings

Overall, the chances of landing the very best players whose contracts are expiring seems very slim at this stage. EA Sports may alter the mechanic with a future update, but for now, these players should be considered potential free agent signings.

To be the first through the door, as soon as the second season (2021/20) starts on 1 July, go over to the Transfers page, Search Players, and then adjust the Transfer Status filter box to the top right to ‘Free Agents.’

Lionel Messi, FC Barcelona (RW, CF, ST)

FIFA 21 best contract expiry signing Lionel Messi, FC Barcelona

Easily one of the best players in the world, Lionel Messi had a massive 94 overall rating in FIFA 20 and can single-handedly transform just about any club into a trophy winner.

Messi has a hefty contract of £510,000 per week, with a value of £93.5 million, so only the wealthiest clubs will be able to hope to lure the Argentine away from Cataluña.

This season, the 33-year-old scored 30 goals and 26 assists in all competitions, prior to the restart of the UEFA Champions League.

Information on a potential new contract for Messi in the next couple of months is mixed. ESPN relays that he’s called off negotiations to expand his current deal, which expires in 2021, whereas AS have alluded to the superstar leaning towards extending his contract to 2023.

If Messi continues to hold out on a new deal with Barcelona, he’ll remain a potential contract expiry signing in FIFA 21.

Sergio Agüero, Manchester City (ST)

FIFA 21 best contract expiry signing Sergio Agüero, Manchester City

Sergio Agüero has been Manchester City’s star striker since joining from Atlético Madrid in 2011. Now 32-years-old, but with a 90 OVR rating in FIFA 20, he could be one of the best contract expiry signings in FIFA 21.

Like his compatriot Messi, Agüero commands a hefty wage packet, being valued at £75 million with a wage of £270,000.

Strictly a striker, positionally speaking, Agüero has long boasted ratings of 90 or above in critical attributes like finishing, positioning, composure, reactions, and balance.

As is commonplace for the more professional players with expiring contracts, Agüero has thus far refused to comment on his contract situation.

However, as noted by Manchester Evening News, the sharpshooter has mentioned before that he’d like to play in his native Argentina again.

Even though he scored 23 goals and teed-up four more, given his recurring injuries, age, and the depth of the City squad, there’s a chance that he could hit the open market.

David Alaba, Bayern Munich, (CB, LB)

FIFA 21 best contract expiry signing David Alaba, Bayern Munich

Still one of the highest-rated left-backs in the world, Alaba boasts the unique ability of being able to play at centre-back as well.

Primarily from the centre-back position this season, Alaba played 38 games and scored twice for Bayern last season.

In FIFA 21, the 84 OVR defender has a value of £32.5 million on a wage of £93,000 per week.

Now in the prime of his career, at 28-years-old, Alaba’s Bayern Munich contract will run out in July 2021. Still, the Bavarian giants are reportedly looking to sell the Austrian, per The Telegraph.

If he doesn’t sign a new contract or switch clubs, Alaba offers a sound set of ratings and is a good age to remain a mainstay in your team for the next several seasons.

Memphis Depay, Olympique Lyonnais (CAM, LW, CF)

FIFA 21 best contract expiry signing Memphis Depay, Olympique Lyonnais

Only 26-years-old, rated 85 OVR with an 88 POT, and flying with Olympique Lyonnais, Memphis Depay could be an excellent contract expiry signing in FIFA 21.

Last season, the versatile Dutchman scored in every one of his Champions League appearances, totalled 14 goals in 19 games with two assists, but saw his season grind to a halt due to a cruciate ligament rupture.

Most recent reports, as detailed by Goal, indicate that Depay is playing hardball with Lyon, having rejected several contract offers. The club is trying to extend his contract, but he comes into FIFA 21 as a potential 2021 contract expiry signing.

His contract is for £120,000 per week in FIFA 21, with the Dutch forward looking set to rank among the best contract expiry signings.

All the best FIFA 21 contract expiry signings ending in 2021 (first season)

Below, you can see a list of all of the best potential contract expiry signings in FIFA 21 Career Mode, with their current age and contract information shown in the table below.

Name Position Age Overall Potential Team Value Wage
Lionel Messi   RW, ST, CF 33 93 93 FC Barcelona £60.8m £504k
Sergio Ramos CB 34 89 89 Real Madrid £22.1m £270k
Sergio Agüero ST 32 89 89 Manchester City £47.7m £270k
Samir Handanovič GK 35 88 88 Inter £14.4m £90k
Ángel Di María  RW, LW 32 87 87 Paris Saint-Germain £35.1m £144k
Luka Modrić CM 34 87 87 Real Madrid £22.1m £234k
Giorgio Chiellini CB 35 87 87 Juventus £14m £85k
Paul Pogba  CM, CDM 27 86 87 Manchester United £45m £171k
Gianluigi Donnarumma GK 21 85 92 Milan £37.4m £30k
Memphis Depay   CF, LW, CAM 26 85 88 Olympique Lyonnais £43.7m £104k
Georginio Wijnaldum CM 29 85 85 Liverpool £33.3m £135k
Thiago Silva CB 35 85 85 Chelsea £10.4m £84k
Alex Telles LB 27 84 85 FC Porto £27.9m £20k
David Alaba  CB, LB 28 84 84 FC Bayern München £24.8m £95k
Jesús Navas  RB, RM 34 84 84 Sevilla FC £9.9m £38k
Fernandinho  CB, CDM 35 84 84 Manchester City £8.6m £99k
Edin Višća RM 30 83 83 Medipol Başakşehir FK £22.1m £53k
Juan Bernat  LB, LM 27 83 84 Paris Saint-Germain £23m £86k
Blaise Matuidi  CDM, CM 33 83 83 Inter Miami £11.3m £13k
Renato Augusto   CM, CAM, LM 32 83 83 Beijing Sinobo Guoan FC £17.6m £30k
Gonzalo Higuaín ST 32 83 83 Inter Miami £18.5m £15k
Zlatan Ibrahimović ST 38 83 83 Milan £8.6m £44k
Florian Thauvin  RW, RM 27 82 82 Olympique de Marseille £20.7m £53k
Tomáš Vaclík GK 31 82 82 Sevilla FC £12.6m £26k
Aleksandar Kolarov LB 34 82 82 Inter £7.2m £95k
Jérôme Boateng CB 31 82 82 FC Bayern München £14.9m £74k
Fernando Muslera GK 34 82 82 Galatasaray SK £8.6m £58k
Lars Bender   RB, CDM, CM 31 82 82 Bayer 04 Leverkusen £14.4m £65k
Mesut Özil  CAM, RW 31 82 82 Arsenal £17.6m £90k
Gianluigi Buffon GK 42 82 82 Juventus £2m £37k
Marko Dmitrović GK 28 81 82 SD Eibar £13.5m £27k
Marten de Roon  CDM, CM 29 81 81 Atalanta £13.5m £56k
Arkadiusz Milik ST 26 81 84 Napoli £20.3m £72k
Jonathan Viera CAM 30 81 81 Beijing Sinobo Guoan FC £15.3m £25k
Taison  LM, CAM 32 81 81 Shakhtar Donetsk £12.6m £450
Marlos  RM, CAM 32 81 81 Shakhtar Donetsk £12.6m £450
Sami Khedira  CM, CDM 33 81 81 Juventus £9.5m £78k
Javi Martínez  CDM, CB 31 81 81 FC Bayern München £12.2m £68k
Sven Bender  CB, CDM 31 81 81 Bayer 04 Leverkusen £11.7m £59k
Marek Hamšík   CM, CDM, CAM 32 81 81 Dalian YiFang FC £12.2m £23k
Stéphane Ruffier GK 33 81 81 AS Saint-Étienne £8.6m £29k
 Łukasz Fabiański GK 35 81 81 West Ham United £4.3m £23k
Franck Ribéry   CF, LM, LW 37 81 81 Fiorentina £5.9m £49k
André-Pierre Gignac  ST, CF 34 81 81 Tigres U.A.N.L. £8.6m £59k
Pepe CB 37 81 81 FC Porto £3.2m £11k
Iniesta  CM, CAM 36 81 81 Vissel Kobe £5m £10k
Otávio   RM, CAM, CM 25 80 83 FC Porto £16.7m £15k
Lucas Vázquez RW 29 80 80 Real Madrid £13.1m £149k
Julian Draxler   CAM, CM, LW 26 80 81 Paris Saint-Germain £15.8m £74k
Nacho Fernández   CB, LB, RB 30 80 80 Real Madrid £10.8m £122k
Cédric Bakambu ST 29 80 80 Beijing Sinobo Guoan FC £13.5m £27k
Escudero  LB, LM 30 80 80 Sevilla FC £10.4m £27k
Guaita GK 33 80 80 Crystal Palace £7.2m £43k
Hulk  RW, ST 33 80 80 Shanghai SIPG FC £8.1m £18k
Nicolas Nkoulou CB 30 80 80 Torino £10.8m £43k
Lars Stindl  CAM, ST 31 80 80 Borussia Mönchengladbach £11.7m £41k
Giuliano CAM 30 80 80 Al Nassr £12.6m £44k
David Luiz CB 33 80 80 Arsenal £6.3m £72k
Diego Costa ST 31 80 80 Atlético Madrid £12.2m £57k
Branislav Ivanović  CB, RB 36 80 80 West Bromwich Albion £2.7m £55k

Hopefully, most of these stars don’t sign new contracts or transfer before the end of the first season on Career Mode, making for a great pool of potential FIFA 21 contract expiry signings.

Looking for the best young players?

FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Centre Backs (CB) to Sign

FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Strikers & Centre Forwards (ST & CF) to Sign

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FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Defensive Midfielders (CDM) to Sign

FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Attacking Midfielders (CAM) to Sign

FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Goalkeepers (GK) to Sign

FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Right Wingers (RW & RM) to Sign

FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Left Wingers (LW & LM) to Sign

Looking for wonderkids?

FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Centre Backs (CB) to sign in Career Mode

FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Right Backs (RB) to Sign in Career Mode

FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Left Backs (LB) to sign in Career Mode

FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Goalkeepers (GK) to sign in Career Mode

FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Attacking Midfielders (CAM) to Sign in Career Mode

FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Central Midfielders (CM) to Sign in Career Mode

FIFA 21 Wonderkid Wingers: Best Left Wingers (LW & LM) to Sign in Career Mode

FIFA 21 Wonderkid Wingers: Best Right Wingers (RW & RM) to sign in Career Mode

FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Strikers (ST & CF) to Sign in Career Mode

FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Young Brazilian Players to Sign in Career Mode

FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Young French Players to Sign in Career Mode

FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Young English Players to Sign in Career Mode

Looking for bargains?

FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Centre Backs (CB) with High Potential to Sign

FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Strikers (ST & CF) with High Potential to Sign

FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Right Backs (RB & RWB) with High Potential to Sign

FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Left Backs (LB & LWB) with High Potential to Sign

FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Centre Midfielders (CM) with High Potential to Sign

FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Goalkeepers (GK) with High Potential to Sign

FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Right Wingers (RW & RM) with High Potential to Sign

FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Left Wingers (LW & LM) with High Potential to Sign

FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Attacking Midfielders (CAM) with High Potential to Sign

FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Defensive Midfielders (CDM) with High Potential to Sign

Looking for the fastest players?

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FIFA 21: Fastest Strikers (ST and CF)


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