Arsenal expiring contracts: Who is free to leave this summer and next?

Under the watchful eyes of head coach Mikel Arteta and esteemed sporting director Edu, Arsenal have made a habit of tying their integral performers down to new long-term contracts amid their rise to Premier League title challengers.

However, those who are not held in such high regard by Gunners chiefs are not rewarded with the same lucrative renewals, and the club have also been guilty of a wave of questionable terminations in the past.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at the Arsenal players whose contracts either expire at the end of June, or in the summer of 2025.

Which Arsenal players are out of contract this summer?

Cedric Soares

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Age: 32
Position: Right-back
Transfer value: £1.7m
Joined: January 31, 2020
Joining fee: Free
Arsenal appearances: 64
Arsenal goals: 2

Honours

One of a handful of players frozen out of Arteta's ranks last season, Cedric played just five games for Arsenal in 2023-24 and has already confirmed that he will be leaving the club this summer.

A good servant for four years since his initial loan move from Southampton in 2020, the 32-year-old was especially important in 2021-22 but is now surplus to requirements.

Mohamed Elneny

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Age: 31
Position: Midfielder
Transfer value: £3m
Joined: January 14, 2016
Joining fee: £10.7m
Arsenal appearances: 161
Arsenal goals: 6

Honours

Arsenal will lose their longest-serving player this summer, as Mohamed Elneny has also announced that his Gunners chapter will come to a close at the end of June after eight-and-a-half seasons.

Always capable of pulling a long-range rocket out of the bag, Elneny enjoyed a brief Arsenal revival under Arteta, but knee injuries hampered his final years in North London.

Arthur Okonkwo

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Age: 22
Position: Goalkeeper
Transfer value: £1.5m
Joined: 2009
Joining fee: Free
Arsenal appearances: 0
Arsenal goals: 0

Honours

The third Arsenal man to confirm his exit as a free agent, goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo - a Hale End youth product - will depart without ever making a senior appearance for the Gunners.

The 22-year-old shone during Wrexham's promotion to League One in 2023-24 and is expected to be at the heart of an EFL transfer scramble as he ends his 15-year Arsenal stint.

Karl Hein

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Age: 22
Position: Goalkeeper
Transfer value: £1.7m
Joined: July 1, 2018
Joining fee: Free
Arsenal appearances: 1
Arsenal goals: 0

Honours

None

Estonia international Karl Hein played third fiddle to David Raya and Aaron Ramsdale in 2023-24 but was a regular presence on the bench after making his debut in an EFL Cup loss to Brighton & Hove Albion in 2022-23.

Even though Ramsdale is set to leave, Hein is unlikely to be promoted to number two ahead of a new arrival, so an exit is not beyond the realm of possibility this summer.

Which Arsenal players are out of contract next summer?

Jorginho

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Age: 32
Position: Midfielder
Transfer value: £10.3m
Joined: January 31, 2023
Joining fee: £9.7m
Arsenal appearances: 52
Arsenal goals: 1

Honours

Jorginho was due to become a free agent at the end of the 2023-24 season, but the influential Italian agreed to a short-term extension until the end of the 2024-25 season after a string of impressive displays.

However, the 32-year-old's renewal is not believed to include the option of a further 12 months, so he may only have one year left in the Gunners strip.

Thomas Partey

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Age: 30
Position: Midfielder
Transfer value: £15.4m
Joined: October 5, 2020
Joining fee: £42.7m
Arsenal appearances: 115
Arsenal goals: 5

Honours

Fellow midfielder Thomas Partey is still on the same terms that he signed upon his arrival from Atletico Madrid in 2020, and injuries have blighted his time at the Emirates.

Partey re-established himself as Arteta's first-choice defensive midfielder towards the back end of last season, but offers are expected to be entertained this summer.