Former Real Madrid, Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United, Chelsea and AC Milan stars are among the free agents with Champions League experience searching for a new club this summer.
We’re into the final month of the 2025 summer window and agents will be hard at work behind the scenes looking for destinations, while clubs may have to think creatively to fill any gaps in their squads.
Here are eight free agents with Champions League experience currently available.
Lucas Vazquez
Not only does Vazquez boast Champions League experience, but he’s lifted the trophy five times.
“I leave with peace of mind, knowing I have given everything I had,” an emotional Vazquez said, speaking in a farewell press conference.
I fulfilled my lifelong dream at the greatest club in the world. There is no greater honour than that. I may be leaving, but Real Madrid will live on inside me forever. I am and will always be Lucas Vázquez, from the Real Madrid academy.”
The sixth most decorated player in Los Blancos’ history after a decade’s service as a dependable and dedicated squad player.
The 34-year-old might not be a spring chicken, but he offers vast experience.
Takehiro Tomiyasu
Tomiyasu’s Champions League experience is relatively limited due to his injury record since Arsenal returned to Europe’s top table.
But he was a revelation in his first season at the Emirates and could prove an astute signing if he can get back to fitness.
He’d be a risk, given he managed just six minutes of action for Mikel Arteta’s Gunners last term.
But at 26, he still presumably has time on his side to rekindle his career somewhere new – and he sounds focused on coming back stronger.
“We had a proper discussion and came to the conclusion that: ‘This decision is best for me, for the club, and for everyone’. So I’m leaving. It all ended amicably,” Tomiyasu told Dazn japan.
“From my perspective, it’s the best timing. I’ll be free, and most importantly, the most positive thing about this decision is that it will allow me to focus on my rehabilitation and on myself.”
Kurt dried
Zouma’s Champions League pomp dates back to his younger days at Chelsea, but he did have a prominent part to play in West Ham’s European odyssey – including a starting spot in the Conference League final victory over Fiorentina.
His career has drifted a bit since then, though, and he saw out the final year of his Hammers contract out on loan to Saudi Pro League side Al-Orobah.
Now at an impasse, it’ll be interesting to see if he continues his career in Europe or takes up an offer further afield.
Victor Lindelof
Lindelof left Manchester United after eight up-and-down seasons, as Ruben Amorim looks to reshape the squad in his first summer at the helm.
The experienced Swede’s role was diminished in his final season at Old Trafford, but he looks set to continue playing at a decent enough level.
Fiorentina, Juventus, Inter Milan and former side Benfica are among the clubs linked.
He’s exactly the kind of over-30 former Premier League player we can imagine enjoying a sudden and unexpected career resurgence out in Serie A.
Christian Eriksen
The only player on this list to start in a Champions League final (Vazquez was only ever a substitute), Eriksen joined Lindelof as an experienced older head out of the Carrington exit door.
There had been links with Hollywood-backed Wrexham, but those have cooled in recent weeks. He’d surely be the greatest player to drop down to the second tier, which is why it still feels like a pipe dream.
Get him in a less hustle-and-bustle environment and you could still easily imagine Eriksen pulling strings in a floating role.
A return to Serie A would tick a lot of boxes, but Italian rules unfortunately prohibit him from playing with a heart-starting device.
Sergio Reguilon
On the one hand, Reguilon’s CV boasts Real Madrid, Sevilla, Tottenham, Atletico Madrid and Manchester United. That’s the sign of a pretty special player, right?
A closer look at his record in the Champions League unveils how things have just never quite taken off for the Spanish full-back.
He’s made just six appearances in the competition, one of which was Real Madrid’s infamous 4-1 humbling at home to Ajax back in 2019.
Three loans away from Spurs haven’t amounted to much and now he finds himself looking for a new challenge.
It’ll be interesting to see whether there’s a player there in a more settled home, or – as we suspect – if he just has the best agent in the business.
Davide Calabria
Calabria left AC Milan, having been in and around the first-team squad for over 10 years.
He was part of the Rossoneri side that won the Scudetto in 2021-22 and played his part in their run to the Champions League semis the following year.
But after falling out of favour last season, he spent the final half-season of his contract out on loan at Bologna – where he featured off the bench as they beat his parent club in the Coppa Italia final.
Crystal Palace are reportedly interested, alongside La Liga trio Celta Vigo, Real Betis, and Mallorca.
But we could see him becoming one of those Italians who spend their entire career back home – at 28, he still has time to become a classic late-career Serie A journeyman.
Hakim Ziyech
After starring in Ajax’s unforgettable run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2018-19, Ziyech got his big move to Chelsea and his hands on the trophy – although he was an unused substitute for Thomas Tuchel’s Blues in the Porto final.
The Moroccan struggled at Stamford Bridge and departed for Galatasaray last summer, sealing a permanent switch after winning the Turkish Super Lig on loan the season prior.
But his stay in Istanbul only lasted another six months. He joined Qatari outfit Al-Duhail on a short-term deal in the latter half of last season and is now once again looking for another club.
You suspect his Champions League days are behind him.
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