Find out which free players are on the market for 2025

At the turn of the year, every team dreams of reinforcements that could change the course of the next season, bring titles and become the club’s newest idols. Many of these reinforcements come through transfers, but many others started 2025 free on the market, without a defined club until then.

With the end of their contracts, several Brazilian football players are open to signing with new teams, being able to start the new season in a new home.

This is the case, for example, of Fernandinho, a 39-year-old midfielder who left Athletico in 2024 without proposals for renewal. The athlete has already played for Manchester City, and has been at Furacão since 2022, during which time he played 117 matches, scored 13 goals and provided 15 assists.

Marcelo, aged 36, also left Fluminense, with termination on December 2nd, even though his departure had already been announced in November. The legal situation delayed the full-back’s official departure, involving contractual issues such as percentages on sales of the player’s products.

Marcelo’s future is still uncertain. One of the possible paths for him would be Nacional, from Uruguay, who has already shown interest in the full-back in a speech by Flavio Perchman, vice-president of the club.

Along with Marcelo, midfielder and defender Felipe Melo also leaves Fluminense, despite having received a proposal from the club to remain at Tricolor. However, the offer was not to play for the club, but for a role as an assistant in the transition of young people from academy to professional.

Defender David Luiz left Flamengo, with his contract ending at the end of 2024 and his departure announced on December 22nd. The announcement was, to say the least, peculiar, as the player himself stated that he discovered his departure on Instagram, without having been notified by the club.

In a subsequent press conference, the club’s football director José Boto denied David Luiz’s statement. Still, the player did not have a farewell, as his last game was on December 8, at Maracanã, the same day that Gabigol left the club full of tributes.

For David Luiz, proposals came from Vasco, but they should not go forward based on statements from the player himself, who stated that it was difficult to imagine himself at Vasco after everything he has experienced with Flamengo.

At the end of the year, on December 30, Diego Costa, aged 36, also left Grêmio, in a collective departure of five players. Gauchão’s top scorer with six goals, the striker had an injury to his left thigh, leaving him with just 26 games, eight goals and five assists. Nacional, from Uruguay, also showed interest in the former Atlético de Madrid.

Striker Vargas left Atlético-MG, leaving officially on December 17 after five years of contract. Vargas’s departure had been expected since last year, when he was included in the presentation of athletes who would be released by the club.

Cuiabá, in turn, lost its goalkeeper, Walter, who at 37 years old announced his departure during the Brasileirão, when the club’s relegation to Series B emerged. Previously, he had already played for Corinthians, but has played for Cuiabá since 2021, during which time he won three stays in Série A.

In the year of Botafogo, the one leaving the club is Marçal, a left-back who arrived as one of the changes from SAF two years ago. An absolute starter, he started to appear less in 2024, when Cuiabano and Alex Telles gained prominence.

In the final stretch, he was already rare in games, even appearing out of his position, as a defender, against São Paulo. He played 90 games over the three years he spent at black and white, scoring three goals and providing nine assists. Currently, one of the clubs targeting the player is Fluminense.

One doubt remains with left-back Renê, whose contract with Inter expired on New Year’s Eve. In the plans of some Serie A clubs, it is not known what the player’s future is, and he could even continue at the club, even if it is unlikely.

At 32 years old, he replaced starter Bernabei against Vasco, in the 34th round of the Brasileirão, and pleased the club. Conversations about permanence then moved further, but did not reach a solution.

There is also no word on the future of Nikão, the 32-year-old midfielder on loan to Athletico from São Paulo until the end of 2024. The midfielder’s contract has already been terminated with the São Paulo club, leaving him free. Athletico even looked for Nikão’s agent, but nothing was defined.

• Victor Cuesta, defender (ex-Bahia)
• Muriel, goalkeeper (ex-Vitória)
• Luiz Adriano, striker (ex-Vitória)
• Rafael Cabral, goalkeeper (ex-Cruzeiro)
• Maurício Lemos, defender (former Atlético-MG)
• Mariano, right-back (former Atlético-MG)
• Alan Kardec, striker (former Atlético-MG)
• Rodrigo Caio, defender (ex-Grêmio)
• Muriel, goalkeeper (ex-Vitória)
• Luiz Adriano, striker (ex-Vitória)