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In football, a free agent is a player who is not under contract with a club. That means they are free to agree a deal with any club that makes them an offer. Players' contracts may expire because their club no longer wants them, because the player has chosen to move, or because a parting of ways suits both parties. When a free agent signs for a new club, they are often paid a signing-on fee - the name given to the money a club pays a player when they first join. Allowing a contract to expire with one club, before signing a new contract with another, can prove very lucrative for a player. The majority of major football leagues run from late summer to late spring, with pre-season in June and July. Therefore, contracts across most divisions typically expire at 23: 59 on 30 June each year. BBC Sport has taken a look at which players will be free agents on 1 July. Those whose contracts are expiring but have already agreed transfers to new clubs are not included, as they will not become free agents. Both Christian Eriksen and Victor Lindelof are leaving Manchester United Arsenal: Thomas Partey Aston Villa: Kortney Hause Brentford: Josh Dasilva, Ben Mee Brighton: N/A Bournemouth: N/A Burnley: Ashley Barnes, Josh Brownhill, Michael Obafemi, Nathan Redmond, Jonjo Shelvey Chelsea: Lucas Bergstrom Crystal Palace: Joel Ward Everton: Asmir Begovic, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Idrissa Gueye, Michael Keane, Joao Virginia, Ashley Young Fulham: Tom Cairney, Kenny Tete, Carlos Vinicius Leeds United: Sam Byram, Junior Firpo, Joshua Guilavogui Liverpool: N/A Manchester City: Scott Carson Manchester United: Christian Eriksen, Victor Lindelof Newcastle United: Jamaal Lascelles, Jamal Lewis, John Ruddy, Callum Wilson Nottingham Forest: Wayne Hennessey, Harry Toffolo Sunderland: N/A Tottenham Hotspur: Fraser Forster, Sergio Reguilon, Alfie Whiteman West Ham: Michail Antonio*, Vladimir Coufal, Aaron Cresswell, Lukasz Fabianski, Danny Ings Wolves: Craig Dawson, Nelson Semedo * Antonio has not played since breaking his leg in a serious car accident in December. West Ham said in June he would be listed as a free transfer for the purposes of Premier League procedure and his "unique situation" meant no formal decision would be made until the time was "right and appropriate". Jonathan David scored seven goals in 10 Champions League matches for Lille last season Below are the players leaving clubs who qualified for European competition in Spain, Italy, Germany, and France. Spanish La Liga Atletico Madrid: Cesar Azpilicueta, Reinildo, Axel Witsel Athletic Club: N/A Barcelona: Wojciech Szczesny Celta Vigo: Alfon Gonzales, Vicente Guaita, Jailson, Javier Manquillo Real Betis: N/A Real Madrid: Luka Modric, Lucas Vasquez, Jesus Vallejo Villarreal: Raul Albiol, Eric Bailly, Kiko Femenia Italian Serie A Atalanta: Juan Cuadrado, Mario Pasalic Bologna: Andri Fannar Baldursson Fiorentina: N/A Juventus: N/A Inter: Marko Arnautovic Napoli: Nikita Contini, Claudio Turi, Frank Zambo-Anguissa Roma: Renato Marin German Bundesliga Bayer Leverkusen: N/A Bayern Munich: Thomas Muller (will complete the Fifa Club World Cup before leaving), Sven Ulreich Borussia Dortmund: Marcel Lotka Frankfurt: N/A Freiburg: N/A Mainz: N/A French Ligue 1 Lille: Jonathan David, Ismaili, Vito Mannone, Samuel Umtiti Lyon: Alexandre Lacazette, Nicolas Tagliafico Marseille: Chancel Mbemba Monaco: N/A Nice: N/A Paris St-Germain: N/A Strasbourg: Thomas Delaine AC Milan have not qualified for European competition, and will allow striker Luka Jovic and defender Alessandro Florenzi to leave on free transfers. Elsewhere, central defender Olivier Boscagli will leave PSV, while highly rated teenage winger Roony Bardghji will leave Copenhagen, and former QPR full-back Braight Osayi-Samuel's time at Fenerbahce will end. Some Scottish Premiership contracts expire on 31 May rather than 30 June - the below players either already are or will become free agents. Aberdeen: Tom Ritchie Celtic: Greg Taylor Dundee: Scott Fraser, Antonio Portales, Joe Shaughnessy Dundee United: David Babunksi, Allan Campbell, Lewis Moult, Bryan Mwangi Falkirk: Russ Munro (will join Inverness) Hearts: Jorge Grant, Barrie Mc Kay, Lawrence Shankland Hibernian: Maksymilian Boruc, Junior Hoilett Kilmarnock: Kyle Magennis, Kieran O'Hara, Kyle Vassell Livingston: N/A Motherwell: Moses Ebiye, Harry Paton, Dominic Thompson, Davor Zdravkovski Rangers: Adam Devine, Tom Lawrence, Ianis Hagi St. Mirren: Dennis Adeniran, Elvis Bwomono Scotland international Greg Taylor is leaving Celtic after they re-signed Kieran Tierney on a free transfer from Arsenal Send us your questions Free agency is much more common in the lower leagues of English football than at the elite level. With greater economic insecurity, offering shorter-term contracts means clubs are less likely to be weighed down by a big squad of players on expensive contracts if results take a downturn or relegation befalls them. In some cases, clubs can have more than a half a squad leave upon expiry of their contracts in a given summer. Some of the most prominent EFL players set to become free agents are: Championship: Rhian Brewster (Sheffield United), Aaron Connolly (Milwall), Grady Diangana (West Brom), Anfernee Dijksteel (Middlesbrough), Tyrhys Dolan (Blackburn), Lynden Gooch (Stoke City), Angus Gunn (Norwich), Kenneth Paal (QPR), Emil Riis (Preston), Mark Sykes (Bristol City), Jamie Vardy (Leicester), Kyle Walker-Peters (Southampton) League One: Will Collar (Stockport), Michael Craig (Reading), Tarique Fosu (Northampton), Charlie Goode (Stevenage), Tyreece John-Jules (Crawley), Josh Koroma (Huddersfield), Hakeem Odoffin (Rotherham United), Josh Onomah (Blackpool), Donovan Pines (Barnsley), Christy Pym (Mansfield), Steven Sessegnon (Wigan) League Two: Ryan Broom (Fleetwood), George Cox (Swindon), Matty Daly (Harrogate), Janoi Donacien (Chesterfield), Paul Dummett (Carlisle), Mandela Egbo (Colchester), Scott Hogan (MK Dons), Shane Mc Loughlin (Newport), Tyler Miller (Notts County), Theo Vassell (Barrow), Zac Williams (Crewe), Connor Wood (Tranmere) Kyle Walker-Peters looks during Southampton's Premier League match against Fulham at St. Mary's This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team. 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