De Gea heads list of ultimate January freebies

The January transfer window is in full swing and clubs around Europe are itching to bolster their squads for the second half of the season.

But getting value for money in the winter is notoriously difficult and teams may instead look towards the bargain basement.

We run the rule over seven players currently without a club and available to sign for free.

David de Gea

David de Gea, 33, saw his 12-year Manchester United career come to a conclusion at the end of last season and he is remarkably still without a new club.

The Spaniard kept 148 clean sheets in 415 Premier League appearances and would be an astute winter swoop for a team in need of goalkeeping reinforcements.

Jesse Lingard

Former England regular Jesse Lingard remains a free agent following an unsuccessful 2022-23 season with Nottingham Forest.

The 31-year-old midfielder failed to score or assist a goal in 17 Premier League appearances last term, numbers which likely put off some potential suitors in the summer.

Lingard was spotted training with former club West Ham at the start of the current campaign but a return to East London has not materialised as of yet.

Douglas Costa

Douglas Costa previously lit up the European stage at Bayern Munich and Juventus but now finds himself without a club in the twilight years of his career.

The Brazilian winger, 33, most recently played for Major League Soccer outfit LA Galaxy, netting eight goals in 51 appearances across all competitions.

Josef Martinez

Venezuela international Josef Martinez recently left Inter Miami after just one season and is yet to be snapped up.

The 30-year-old forward proved his class during a five-year stint with Atlanta United by bagging 111 goals in 158 matches — and he also has experience playing in Europe thanks to previous spells at Torino and Young Boys.

Anwar El Ghazi

Ex-Aston Villa winger Anwar El Ghazi had his contract terminated by Bundesliga side Mainz in November due to a disagreement surrounding a pro-Palestine social media post.

Still just 28, the Dutchman is a top-quality option for teams in Europe having scored 10 goals in 32 games across all competitions for PSV Eindhoven in the 2022-23 season.

Helder Costa

Helder Costa is available on a free transfer after spending the 2022-23 campaign on loan at Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad from Leeds, where he scored three goals in 20 appearances.

Leeds decided not to extend the 29-year-old's contract in the summer but the Angola international should attract attention this window, particularly after proving his class at Wolves — where he won the club's Player of the Season award in 2016-17.

Mamadou Sakho

Former Liverpool centre-back Mamadou Sakho is back on the market after departing Montpellier last November following a training ground altercation with manager Michel Der Zakarian.

The 33-year-old has also played for Paris Saint-Germain and Crystal Palace during his successful domestic career, as well as representing France on 29 occasions between 2010 and 2018.