Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal are among the Premier League clubs with difficult contract situations hanging over high-profile top earners.
You get the distinct impression that clubs would like to offload certain individuals when the transfer window opens at the end of the season, but doing so looks far easier said than done.
Here are eight of the Premier League’s most awkward contract headaches ahead of this summer’s window.
Raheem Sterling
The forward’s loan move to Arsenal hasn’t exactly kickstarted his career, has it?
Sterling is struggling for gametime even with Mikel Arteta’s Gunners squad ravaged by injuries. He’s only started 10 games in all competitions and notched just one goal and four assists.
We can safely assume at this point that Arsenal won’t be making the move permanent. And having failed to catch the eye in the shop window, parent club Chelsea will struggle to find suitors.
But the 30-year-old’s contract at Stamford Bridge runs for another two seasons (until 2027), while his reported weekly wage of around £325,000 is sure to be a sticking point.
Marcus Rashford
Unlike Sterling, Rashford is doing the business out on loan.
After a difficult few weeks under Ruben Amorim, the forward has kicked on with a promising start to life for Aston Villa – which has earned him an England recall.
Villa reportedly have a £40million option to make the move permanent, which could prove to be a bargain. However, matching his salary (reportedly the fifth-highest in the Premier League at £325,000) is a different question.
Rashford’s contract with his parent club runs until 2028. Would he really forego millions in earnings and take a paycut for a fresh start? Let’s see.
Mykhailo Mudryk
Something of a forgotten man, Mudryk has been out of the picture at Chelsea since he tested positive for a banned substance back in December.
We await the next developments, but you imagine the situation around the Ukrainian winger could get quite messy – especially if you take Paul Pogba at Juventus as a precedent.
Mudryk signed a mammoth eight-year deal when he joined from Shakhtar Donetsk in a deal worth up to £89million back in January 2023.
Casemiro
To be fair, Casemiro is finally approaching the final season of the four-year deal he signed back in 2022.
Manchester United are believed to have an option for a further year, but you can’t see that happening given his form.
His salary is believed to be among the highest in all of European football and at his age, with that many miles in his legs, another club surely won’t match it.
Ruben Amorim will be praying a Saudi Pro League comes in for him, but that hasn’t happened over the past few windows… One more year of forlorn veteran trudging around the Old Trafford turf looks on the cards.
Antony
As with Rashford, Antony looks as though he’s had a weight lifted from his shoulders out on loan.
The winger has made a sensational start for Real Betis but they lack the resources to sign him permanently. Whatever happens next, United look almost certain to make a colossal loss on their £81million investment.
“We have to do one of those ‘crowdfunding’s to see if we can bring him back for at least another year,” Betis team-mate Isco told DAZN.
Antony has another two years left to run on his contract with the Red Devils. Don’t be surprised if he sees it out with another loan or two.
Gabriel Jesus
We don’t have it in for Brazilians. Honest.
Jesus actually looked a revelation in his first few weeks at Arsenal – as if he’d be a key cog as they made a big leap forward to the title-challenging side we know today.
But he failed to maintain that form, and following his torn ACL and expectations that the Gunners will invest in a new striker it’s difficult to see where he factors into the club’s future.
Given his serious injury, you don’t imagine a new club will be looking to take the risk on his signature in the summer. His contract runs until 2027.
Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus celebrates scoring on his home debut against Leicester City at Emirates Stadium, London, August 2022.
QUIZ: Can you name the 30 most expensive transfers between Premier League clubs?
Joao Felix
Ah, Chelsea. Have you learned nothing?
The Blues spent in the region of £45million to sign the Portuguese forward from Atletico Madrid in the summer… only to loan him out to AC Milan six months later.
Felix hasn’t caught fire at the San Siro and transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano is already reporting that the Rossoneri won’t be making the deal permanent.
Good job that Chelsea have secured him until 2031, eh?
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