Five upcoming free agents MLS clubs could sign after Giroud capture, including Champions League finalist

As the end of the 2023-24 European season approaches, MLS clubs will be eying the star players whose contracts are set to expire with an eye on their next big-name arrivals.

Inter Miami made the biggest free agent signing of them all last year with the acquisition of Lionel Messi, and Los Angeles FC have already wrapped up an agreement to sign Olivier Giroud when the Frenchman’s AC Milan contract ends in July.

Here are five more soon-to-be free agents MLS clubs could target this summer.

Marco Reus

After 12 years at Signal Iduna Park, Marco Reus could bring an end to a glorious career with Borussia Dortmund in dream fashion by guiding his beloved boyhood club to Champions League glory at Wembley.

A Dortmund native, Reus played for BVB as a youngster before later re-joining the club from Borussia Monchengladbach for €17 million in 2012. He went on to score 169 goals in 426 games for the Black and Yellow, winning two German Cups and etching a legacy as one of the club’s most iconic players.

Win or lose against Real Madrid in the Champions League final on June 1, one day after his 35th birthday, Reus will not play another game for Dortmund. His contract is set to expire at the end of the season and the 48-cap Germany star has already confirmed he is moving on.

And according to The Athletic, Reus has already begun negotiations over a summer move to MLS with St. Louis SC, where he could reunite with former Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Burki.

Luka Modric

Croatian midfield master Luka Modric faces an almost identical situation to Reus. The 2018 Ballon d’Or winner joined Real Madrid from Tottenham the same summer Reus went back to Dortmund. And in 12 glory-filled years at the Bernabeu, the 38-year-old has won it all – including four La Liga titles, five Champions Leagues and five FIFA World Club Cups.

Against Dortmund in the season’s final game, Modric has the opportunity to claim a sixth Champions League crown before walking off into the sunset as a free agent this summer.

Rumours abound over Modric’s potential next move, with a switch to Saudi Arabia mooted, as well as a romantic return to his homeland.

But Modric would be perfectly suited to an MLS swansong at this stage of his career. He might no longer be a starter in Madrid – instead popping up regularly with classy cameos from the bench for Carlo Ancelotti’s side – but the success the likes of Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez are enjoying with Inter Miami suggests the former Dinamo Zagreb man could still dominate in the United States.

And with his pedigree and name value, he would surely appeal to Miami as the next celebrity co-star for Messi.

READ MORE – Seven former Lionel Messi teammates who could follow star to Inter Miami and MLS

Raphael Varane

A former Real Madrid team-mate of Modric’s is another contender for an MLS switch when his contract expires at the end of the current season.

Manchester United’s £34 million capture of Raphael Varane in 2021 was seen as a statement signing for the club attempting to rebuild under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the time. The France superstar brought a brimming résumé highlighted by three La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues and a World Cup triumph.

But Varane’s time at Old Trafford has been blighted by injuries. The 31-year-old Frenchman has started almost exactly half of United’s Premier League fixtures in the three years he’s been with the club – 58 from a possible 111. The deal he signed upon joining the Red Devils will expire this summer and reports suggest the club’s new decision makers – co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS group – will not be offering a renewal.

Varane will likely still attract interest from clubs within Europe’s major leagues, but an honest appraisal of his remaining capabilities might lead the United centre-back to conclude a change of pace is needed.

Andre Gomes

With just three Premier League starts to his name for Sean Dyche’s side this season, there is little prospect of Andre Gomes’ expiring Everton contract being extended.

The Portuguese playmaker arrived at Goodison Park, initially on loan, in 2018 with high expectations but with his confidence apparently shattered by a failure to live up to the €55 million price tag that had accompanied his move from Valencia to Barcelona two years earlier.

A regular starter for the Toffees in the 2018-19 season, Everton were convinced to fork out £22 million to make the move permanent, but Gomes has seldom shown the talent that once made him one of the most sought-after midfielders in Europe.

Still only 30, Gomes’ career could be kickstarted by a Stateside switch.

Thiago Alcantara

Exit-linked Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara

Another injury-stricken midfielder destined for a Merseyside departure this summer is Thiago Alcantara.

The Liverpool playmaker, now 32, will be remembered as one of the most gifted central midfielders of his generation, winning a staggering 11 top-flight titles across spells with Barcelona and Bayern Munich, as well as a Champions League with each club.

He joined Liverpool in 2020 for £20 million, a deal that seemed a bargain at the time considering the player’s calibre and the expected years remaining in his prime. And at times he was majestic for the Reds.

But injuries meant he never made more than 20 league starts in a season for Jurgen Klopp’s men. And this season, with his contract set to expire at the end of the campaign, he has mustered just five minutes of Premier League action.

If he can regain his fitness, Thiago is an obvious candidate for an MLS move – perhaps even for a reunion with former Barcelona colleagues Messi, Busquets and Jordi Alba in Miami.