Angel Gomes among eight exciting Ligue 1 stars out of contract in 2025

An intriguing list of Ligue 1 players set to be free agents at the end of the current season is headlined by a young player who has recently made waves in England.

This month Angel Gomes was handed a Three Lions debut by interim manager Lee Carsley – under whom he worked at under-21 level – which will have served to boost the former Manchester United player’s profile ahead of his impending free agency.

Here are eight stars from France’s top flight who are on course to be available for free in the summer of 2025.

Angel Gomes

After impressing in his first appearances for the England senior team, Gomes will no doubt be the subject of interest from the Premier League as his contract with Lille heads towards expiring next summer.

The diminutive playmaker was once one of the most highly regarded prospects in Manchester United’s academy, but he left the Red Devils in 2020 and has since found stardom with Les Dogues.

Gomes was the joint-highest assist provider in Ligue 1 last term, laying on eight goals for colleagues. The 23-year-old, who was a key player in England’s European Under-21 Championship triumph last year, is reportedly a January target for Newcastle.

Jonathan David

A Lille team-mate of Gomes, Jonathan David has been linked with a move to England’s top flight for several years now. And this past summer, with just a year left on his contract in France and amid reported interest from the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool, he seemed destined to finally make a Premier League switch.

But no such move materialised for the 24-year-old striker. Instead, he now looks set to depart Lille as a free agent in 2025 after five seasons with the club.

David has demonstrated his pedigree with back-to-back 26-goal hauls in the last two seasons and he has three goals from six appearances already this term. He is also the joint-highest scorer in Canada’s history, with a recent strike in a 2-1 victory over the United States taking his international tally to an impressive 29 goals from 56 games.

Rayan Cherki

After coming close to a switch to Fulham this summer, exciting Lille winger Rayan Cherki will be a highly sought-after free agent in 2025 if l’OL cannot come to terms with the 21-year-old over a fresh deal.

Born in Lyon and a product of the club’s youth system, Cherki broke through at the Stade de Gerland in the 2020-21 campaign after making his debut the season before. The skilled attacker has provided six assists in each of the last two Ligue 1 seasons and was part of France’s silver-medal-winning side at the Olympics this summer.

Along with Fulham, Crystal Palace, Borussia Dortmund and Serie A giants Lazio are said to be keen to sign Cherki in the near future, while Lyon are hopeful of convincing him to stay with his boyhood club.

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Alexandre Lacazette

Another Lyon academy product on course to depart the club on a free next summer – albeit one at the opposite end of his career compared to youngster Cherki – is Alexandre Lacazette.

The former Arsenal striker went back to Lyon in 2022 and has been prolific since returning to the French top flight, with 53 goals in 76 all-competitions games in his second spell with his hometown side.

Now 33, Lacazette has proven he still has plenty of goals left in him. After starring for the French Olympic side as an overage selection this summer, the veteran marksman rejected a move to the Saudi Pro League.

Chancel Mbemba

Former Newcastle centre-back Chancel Mbemba still has just under a year to run on his contract with Marseille, but it appears he has already played his last game for the club from the south of France.

The 30-year-old DR Congo defender has been a key player for l’OM since joining from Porto two years ago, helping them reach the semi-finals of the Europa League last season. But following the arrival of Roberto De Zerbi as manager this summer, Mbemba had been informed he was surplus to requirements at the Stade Velodrome. And he has since been suspended by the club for alleged poor behaviour in training.

A vastly experienced player who has 85 caps for his country and has played at the Champions League level, Mbemba has won top-flight titles in Belgium and Portugal.

Krepin Diatta

Senegalese wide man Krepin Diatta might not be the most productive attacking player in the French top flight, with just six league goals to his name since joining Monaco in January 2021, but the 25-year-old is one of the division’s most dynamic and eye-catching players when in full flow.

The 25-year-old from Dakar was repositioned from the wing to a wing-back role last term and ranked in the 99th percentile among wide defenders in Ligue 1 for successful take-ons per 90 minutes (2.16), the 95th percentile for progressive carries per 90 (3.58) and the 94th percentile for progressive passes (5.97).

And while he only registered two assists in 31 top-flight games, he ranked in the 90th percentile for shot-creating actions per 90 (3.06).

Nicolas Tagliafico

A World Cup and Copa America winner with Argentina, Nicolas Tagliafico is one of the more dependable and underrated full-backs in Europe.

The 63-cap Albiceleste defender signed for Lyon in a €4 million deal from Ajax – where he was a three-time Eredivisie champion – in the summer of 2022, signing a two-year contract with the Ligue 1 side.

A past target for Manchester United, the 32-year-old full-back is reportedly being monitored by Italian powerhouses Roma and Juventus, who could swoop if he becomes a free agent next summer.

Pablo Rosario

One-cap Netherlands international Pablo Rosario made 30 league appearances for Nice last term to help Les Aiglons record a top-five finish in what could end up being his penultimate season with the club as his contract winds down.

Able to play as a centre-back or a defensive midfielder, the 27-year-old – who spent time with Feyenoord and Ajax as a hotly tipped youngster – has played over 100 times for Nice since signing for the club from PSV in 2021.

Linked with Wolves this summer, Rosario is reportedly the subject of interest from Ajax, where former Nice boss Francesco Farioli took charge back in May.