Where are they now? The last 7 players Barcelona signed on a free transfer
Barcelona’s financial problems are well-documented, meaning the club have signed a lot of players on free transfers over recent years.
In October 2024, the La Liga giants bought Wojciech Szczesny out of retirement to solve an injury crisis amongst their goalkeepers, but this isn’t the first time they’ve swooped for a player without a transfer fee.
We’ve picked out the latest seven players Barcelona have signed for free and discovered what they are doing in 2024.
Ilkay Gundogan
Gundogan was acquired from Manchester City in the summer of 2023, with the midfielder leaving England as a City hero following their treble-winning season.
The Germany international spent a single season at Barcelona, scoring five times in 51 appearances, before returning to City to ease the La Liga club’s financial worries.
Inigo Martinez
Martinez was signed on a two-year deal in July 2023 after leaving Athletic Bilbao. Because this is Spain, the defender had a €400 million release clause included in his Barca contract, just in case.
Injuries relegated Martinez to fifth-choice under Xavi, but the 33-year-old has been a regular under Hansi Flick due to the regular absence of Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen.
Franck Kessie
Kessie can’t be blamed for leaving Milan behind despite being key to their Serie A title win in 2022, because who turns down Barcelona when they come calling?
It might’ve gone pear-shaped in Catalonia, much to the dismay of several Premier League clubs who were interested in his signature, but a move to Saudi Arabia after just one season raised several pairs of eyebrows.
The Ivory Coast international was one of Al-Ahli’s standout players last season, having scored 10 goals across the campaign. But it still feels like Kessie would have plenty to offer for a Champions League club.
Andreas Christensen
Poached from Chelsea in 2022, who carelessly let the defender’s contract run down, Christensen has become a regular at the heart of Barcelona’s defence.
They won La Liga at the end of Christensen’s first season, but it’s not been so plain sailing since as a combination of injuries, the rise of Real Madrid and several La Masia graduates have dulled the Denmark international’s impact.
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Hector Bellerin
Bellerin had honed his skills at La Masia before continuing his development at Arsenal, eventually breaking through to play over 200 times for the Gunners.
His return to Camp Nou in 2022 wasn’t especially memorable; the defender made just seven appearances before being shipped off to Sporting Lisbon six months later.
Bellerin now plays for Real Betis, who are playing Conference League football under Manuel Pellegrini this year.
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Marcos Alonso
Having racked up over 200 appearances for Chelsea, Alonso spent a total of six years at the club before joining Barcelona in 2022.
The 33-year-old spent two years with the Catalan giants, the second of which was dogged by injury, before moving to Celta Vigo. Alonso has made three appearances for the club to date.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Barcelona took a risk when signing Aubameyang from Arsenal in January after the Gabonese forward left the club amid increasing disciplinary issues.
The free transfer proved a brilliant piece of business, with Aubameyang scoring 13 goals and assisting once in just 24 games, before leaving again in the summer to sign for Chelsea in a £10.3million deal.
Barcelona got the most out of the forward and sold him at the right time, with Aubameyang flopping at Chelsea and leaving shortly after. He now plays in Saudi Arabia for Al Qadsiah.