Arsenal set to hold contract advantage over Liverpool and Man Utd heading into summer

Arsenal are on course to enter next summer’s transfer window without a single player in the final year of their contract, giving Mikel Arteta’s side a planning advantage over Premier League rivals Liverpool and Manchester United.

The development hinges on Gabriel Martinelli’s impending £60 million transfer to Al-Hilal, which is reported to be close to completion. Once that deal is finalised, Arsenal’s squad will be free of any immediate contract uncertainty, allowing the club to direct its resources entirely toward planned new signings rather than renewal negotiations.

It is a position that stands in stark contrast to Liverpool, who face decisions on five first-team players whose deals expire next summer. Club captain Virgil van Dijk headlines that group, alongside goalkeeper Alisson, Joe Gomez, Konstantinos Tsimikas and Wataru Endo. The Reds must also decide whether to trigger the purchase option on Ronald Araujo following his loan arrival from Barcelona. With Van Dijk and Alisson both in the latter stages of their careers, those conversations carry significant weight for the Anfield hierarchy.

Manchester United’s situation is similarly complex. Bruno Fernandes, whose contract runs out in 12 months, is the most prominent name, though reports suggest United have already reopened talks with their captain over an extension. Seven further players are also due to become free agents next summer, among them first-team regulars Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martinez. Goalkeeper Tom Heaton and younger squad members Harry Amass, Jack Fletcher and Tyler Fletcher are also inside the final year of their deals.

Arsenal’s summer window was otherwise a difficult one. The club failed to land any of its primary attacking targets — Morgan Rogers and Vinicius Junior among them — despite sustained pursuit. Arteta had identified an elite forward as essential to his ambitions of building what he described as a dynasty, following the club’s first Premier League title in 22 years and a Champions League run that fell just short of the final.

While the squad is widely regarded as strong enough to challenge for the title again, the failure to add a genuine game-changer in attack remains a concern. The contract clarity heading into next summer, however, offers at least one concrete reason for optimism as the club looks to plan its next move in the market.