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.

Author:

Ben Chopping

Started off as a sports writer with a focus on football, ice hockey, boxing, and American football. After leaving RealSport, I diversified my writing substantially, kept with sport, but also learned much more heavily into pop culture, iGaming, travel, business, tech, and especially gaming. Later, I co-founded Outsider Gaming, was the primary writer and editor-in-chief, and helped to train and bring on the writing talents who also had a passion for gaming. Now, I’m writing everything and anything, from sports to gaming, SEO-optimised content to reviews and previews.

Published on: Oct 2, 2020 | Updated on: Mar 21, 2023

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.

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.

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