Kylian Mbappe, Thiago Alcantara and the best 2024 free agents who can start negotiating free transfers

PSG are a bit paranoid when it comes to Mbappe, claiming - with apparently little evidence - that the France winger has been negotiating with Real Madrid behind the scenes for some time now.

True or not, he will likely start doing so in earnest now the January window is open. His Madrid move has been regarded as a matter of time for almost two years now. The only point of contention is whether he leaves on a free transfer, or does as promised and pens a deal that would force Los Blancos to cough up. Either way, let the discussions begin.

Thiago is an admittedly hard player to gauge at this point. He's still immensely talented and capable of running games all by himself. But this is a player, on the wrong side of 30, who has been sidelined for almost a year with a hip injury. These aren't the kind of things that centre midfielders - who have to cover a lot of ground - tend to recover from quickly.

But he is supposedly nearing a return, and, if used correctly, could be a massive asset for Jurgen Klopp's side, especially as they try to stay alive in four competitions. A good run in the middle of the park, as well as an extended period of fitness, could see him land one last contract with a top European club.

Not a glamorous player, but Rabiot is a sneakily good one. The French midfielder was on the verge of joining Manchester United, and has been linked with a few top European clubs since.

Rabiot may not be a game-changing presence, but he's an experienced operator in central midfield, and won't be blamed for wanting to get out of Serie A. And at 28, he still has enough football left to allure the watchful eyes of a top club.

Rafa's numbers have been in steady decline for five years, but his ability to offer quality minutes, and change games with his pace and trickery have gone nowhere. A rapid forward who can also play on the wing, Rafa has been a crucial part of several iterations of Benfica, a constant as top class strikers have come and gone.

Reports from Portugal have suggested that a renewal is unlikely, and that the 30-year-old could be on the market for free next summer. He may be up there in age, but could certainly function as a reliable backup, or solid starter for an upper mid level team with aspirations of playing European football.

A puzzling one. All of the talk around Man United these days seems to suggest that new partial owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has his eyes on a massive overhaul of the squad and football operations department.

Just how significant this supposed shakeup will be remains to be seen, but Wan-Bissaka is one of those who could be facing an exit. He's an enigmatic player, and doesn't really fit with the modern idea of what a full-back should be. Still, his defensive abilities have never been called into question, and should be sufficient to earn him a starting spot at another big European club come this summer.

Perhaps a more intriguing United player, Varane was supposed to be in northern England until 2025. However, the Red Devils have declined the option for an extra year on his contract, allowing the former Madrid star to negotiate with whoever he pleases.

The French centre-back will be 31 this summer, and will presumably seek out at least one more European club. Then again, if Saudi Pro League money is floated, don't be surprised if he makes the jump.

Jorginho's move to Arsenal was one of the surprise switches of last January — even if the Italian midfielder had become surplus to requirements for a struggling Chelsea side.

And against most odds, he made himself useful for the Gunners. Fans will remember his deflected strike to beat Aston Villa fondly, and he certainly offered serviceable minutes when Thomas Partey struggled for fitness.

A year later, and there's no obvious path to first team football - not anymore. Declan Rice is a mainstay, and Partey will be around for at least one more year. At 32, Jorginho could do with moving on. He has already admitted, in fact, that he wants to play in Serie A again. A deal could be sorted by the end of the month.

Sadly, it appears that Di Maria's career is winding down. The Argentine announced that he will retire from international duty after 2024's Copa America. And although he has found relative success in his second spell with Benfica, the winger simply isn't the attacking force that he used to be. And for a side that prioritises young talent over aging superstars, it would be hard to imagine him extending his deal in the Portuguese top flight.

So, where next? There was well-documented Saudi Pro League interest last summer - which Di Maria unequivocally spurned. It would be of little surprise to see those links re-emerge. But European parties could also take a punt on a 35-year-old who can still offer something.

Spinazzola was a relatively unknown quantity outside of Italy until 2021. The versatile wing-back turned in a trio of memorable performances for the Azzurri in their Euro 2020 winning campaign, and would have perhaps enjoyed a big-money move had he not ruptured his Achilles before the end of the tournament.

Now at Roma, Spinazzola has faded from the European spotlight, and faces competition at the national team level, too. And at 30 - soon to be 31 - it's hard to see anyone forking over immense amounts of cash to secure his services.

Still, this is an experienced full-back, who can fill multiple roles, not too far removed from an outstanding tournament. There will surely be some conversations to be had in the coming weeks.

Why didn't Ndidi leave Leicester last summer? The defensive midfielder looked like a lock to continue to playing Premier League football despite his side's relegation at the end of the 2022-23 campaign. But he stuck around, even though he would find himself in contract limbo this year.

It proved to be a strike of genius from a player reinvented. Ndidi's role has changed this season, with the Nigerian getting forward with far more regularity than in previous campaigns. This is no longer a lanky centre-back-turned-No.6. Ndidi is now a bonafide box-to-box midfielder.

Barcelona are supposedly interested in securing his signature, and if he keeps this up, the Blaugrana won't be alone.

Attention, Barcelona. Rodriguez has reportedly been a target for the Blaugrana for some time now, with whispers suggesting that Xavi's side could make a move for the highly-rated defensive-midfielder before the end of the month.

But that seems unlikely - such are Barca's financial woes. Instead, they, along with a number of other interested parties, will have to wait until Rodriguez hits the open market this summer. A cultured pivot who has excelled since joining Betis from Club America in 2020, Rodriguez won't be short of suitors in the coming months. Barca are the early favourites, but Atletico Madrid are also said to be in the running.

It would be admittedly strange if usual smart operators Boca let one of their premier talents leave for nothing. Barco went from relative unknown in Europe to star-in-the-making last year, proving an important part of a Boca side that made an unexpected - yet somehow entirely predictable - run to the Copa Libertadores final.

His contract situation is a confusing one. Theoretically, it runs until December 2024, but there is already agent-driven talk that the left-back has caught the watchful eye of the likes of Manchester City, Brighton and Liverpool.

What to make of Martial? On the one hand, here is an immensely talented player, misused for a few years, exiled for a few more, and then consumed by the immense pressure of playing at a toxic football club. But look really hard, and there's still a top-class footballer in there somewhere.

Martial's best position is still up for debate. Can he play as a lone No.9, or is he better off on the wing? Can he be a star player, or a valuable contributor in a versatile system? Or, more simply, does he need to play football somewhere?

Erik Ten Hag has insisted that United won't sell the out-of-favour striker in January - no matter how serious Rasmus Hojlund's Ballon d'Or charge becomes after scoring his first Premier League goal for the Red Devils. But it's unlikely that he will pen a new deal, either. A loan move to Sevilla last year proved disastrous, but a good second half of the season could see him land somewhere in a big five European league.