FIFA 19 Career Mode: Contract expiry signings ending in 2023

The kings of Career Mode plan ahead. With transfer prices and wages so high for the best stars in the world, the most practical way to sign them is on a pre-contract. These are agreements you can make when a player enters the last six months of their contract, to sign them at the end of the campaign. Planning five years ahead may seem silly, but it will be definitely worth it if you strike gold in 2023. 

READ: How to make a contract expiry signing on FIFA 19

Kevin De Bruyne (OVR 91 – POT 92)

Age: 27

Positions: CAM, CM

Club: Manchester City

Country: Belgium

Work rate: High/High

Best stats: 94 vision, 93 crossing, 92 short passing

Wage: £348,000 a week

The best Premier League player on FIFA 19, Kevin De Bruyne is the most complete player in the English top-flight. The Belgian attacking midfielder has been moved deeper and to a more important role in central midfield under Pep Guardiola, and he rewarded his manager last season, scoring 12 goals and an impressive 12 assists.

On the game, De Bruyne’s 94 vision, 93 crossing and 92 short passing give him a 91 overall, which can improve to a 92 potential. His wages of £348,000 a week make a move for him anytime soon near impossible, but in five years’ time, snapping up a 32-year-old De Bruyne could be a smart move. 

Antoine Griezmann (OVR 89 – POT 90)

Age: 27

Positions: ST

Club: Atletico Madrid

Country: Spain

Work rate: High/High

Best stats: 92 finishing, 91 positioning, 90 ball control

Wage: £132,000 a week

Antoine Griezmann now has a World Cup to his name and has earned heaps of respect for his efforts over the summer. The Frenchman wants to be put into the bracket of Messi and Ronaldo, but he just needs to show more consistency for club side Atletico Madrid to do so. Other than the World Cup, Griezmann’s 29 goals and 15 assists last season helped Atletico win the Europa League, but they will look to challenge Real Madrid and Barcelona this year.

Griezmann has an 89 overall rating on FIFA 19, which can still creep up to 90. Stats of 92 finishing, 91 positioning and 90 ball control can be yours for a ‘reasonable’ £132,000 a week, but for a big saving, move for the 27-year-old in 2023. 

Mohamed Salah (OVR 88 – POT 89)

Age: 26

Positions: RW

Club: Liverpool

Country: Egypt

Work rate: High/Medium

Best stats: 94 acceleration, 91 reactions, 91 agility

Wage: £242,000 a week

Salah can consider himself unlucky to be rated just 88 after a remarkable first season at Anfield. The Liverpool right winger scored 44 goals and notched 16 assists as he broke the Premier League goal scoring record for a 38 game season (32 league goals). A shoulder injury saw his Champions League final cut short, but you wouldn’t put it past the Egyptian king to fire the Reds to silverware this season. 

94 acceleration, 91 reactions and 91 agility take Salah’s rating to 88 which can still improve to 89 on Career Mode. £242,000 a week are hefty wages, but if you can, get hold of him in a few years and claim him aged 31. 

Phillipe Coutinho (OVR 88 – POT 89)

Age: 26

Positions: LW, RW, CM

Club: Barcelona

Country: Brazil

Work rate: High/High

Best stats: 93 balance, 93 long shots, 92 ball control

Wage: £326,000 a week

Continuing with the Liverpool theme, Phillipe Coutinho left Merseyside in January for Barcelona, and he has been a big hit at the Camp Nou. The winger or central midfielder has scored 11 times and created eight more in his 28 games for Barcelona so far and continued to perform at the World Cup with Brazil over the summer.

Wages of £326,000 a week are steep, and at his current age of 26, signing Coutinho will be very tricky. Waiting for 2023 when he will be 31 makes perfect sense but keep an eye to see where his 88 overall with an 89 potential is at that point. Currently, Coutinho’s best stats are 93 balance, 93 long shots and 92 ball control. 

Samuel Umtiti (OVR 87 – POT 92)

Age: 24

Positions: CB

Club: Barcelona

Country: France

Work rate: Medium/High

Best stats: 90 marking, 89 standing tackle, 89 jumping

Wage: £180,000 a week

A world class defender, many would say Samuel Umtiti is the premier centre back at Barcelona, ahead of Gerard Pique (OVR 87). Umtiti added a World Cup to his first La Liga title last season, forming a formidable defensive partnership with Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane (OVR 86) on route to gold.

Attributes of 90 marking, 89 standing tackle and 89 jumping help Umtiti to an 87 overall, but at the age of 24 this can rise to an incredible potential of 92. This makes the centre back an incredible signing on a pre-contract agreement.

Roberto Firmino (OVR 86 – POT 88)

Age: 26

Positions: CF, ST

Club: Liverpool

Country: Brazil

Work rate: High/High

Best stats: 90 stamina, 87 finishing, 87 positioning

Wage: £185,000 a week

Roberto Firmino looks to be taking the lead role at Liverpool this season, netting three goals in his first six games. Last year, where the focus was on Salah, Firmino still notched 27 goals, and is regarded as one of the game’s biggest goal threats.

With a high work rate in attack and defence, Firmino is a massive team player, with the 26-year-old possessing an 86 overall and 88 potential on FIFA 19. His stats of 90 stamina, 87 finishing and 87 positioning are superb, with a salary of £185,000 a week. 

Leonardo Bonucci (OVR 86 – POT 86)

Age: 31

Positions: CB

Club: Juventus

Country: Italy

Work rate: Low/High

Best stats: 90 interceptions, 90 marking, 86 heading accuracy

Wage: £154,000 a week

The defensive rock is back at Juventus. Leonardo Bonucci endured an up-and-down season at AC Milan last year but has been brought back to Turin to partner Giorgio Chiellini (OVR 89) at the back and help Juve lift an eighth-straight Serie A title.

Stats of 90 interceptions, 90 marking and 86 heading accuracy take Bonucci to an 86 overall. In five years time, the defender will be 36 however, so perhaps only move for him if you a bottom half club, with his wages set to drop dramatically from £154,000 a week. 

Miralem Pjanic (OVR 86 – POT 86)

Age: 28

Positions: CM, CDM

Club: Juventus

Country: Bosnia Herzegovina

Work rate: Medium/Medium

Best stats: 92 FK accuracy, 89 ball control, 89 short passing

Wage: £172,000 a week

A complete midfielder, Miralem Pjanic is the man who makes Juventus tick. With Cristiano Ronaldo (OVR 94) now in attack, Pjanic will look to play the ball forward to the striker, but we should still expect the Bosnian to have first refusal from set-pieces.

Central or defensive Pjanic has wages of £172,000 a week, and an overall of 86. His stats of 92 free kick accuracy, 89 ball control and 89 short passing allow the 28-year-old to run the game for your side. 

Marco Asensio (OVR 85 – POT 93)

Age: 22

Positions: LW, CAM, RW

Club: Real Madrid

Country: Spain

Work rate: Medium/Medium

Best stats: 88 long shots, 87 dribbling, 86 ball control

Wage: £189,000 a week

Just 22, Marco Asensio is the present and future for Real Madrid and Spain. It was his rise that caused James Rodriguez (OVR 88) to be sent out on loan to Bayern Munich, with Asensio adding movement to his creativity.

Asensio would be an incredible contract expiry signing with the winger or attacking midfielder capable of improving from an 85 overall to a 93 potential. In 2023, he will be in the cusp of his prime at 27, so you may have to pay a bit extra than his £189,000 a week wages. 

Fabinho (OVR 85 – POT 89)

Age: 24

Positions: CDM

Club: Liverpool

Country: Brazil

Work rate: Medium/Medium

Best stats: 93 stamina, 91 penalties, 88 standing tackle

Wage: £114,000 a week

New Liverpool signing hasn’t been seen much so far but expect the £44 million signing from Monaco to have a big role as the season progresses. An energetic midfielder, the Brazilian will protect the back four, but is also no stranger to goal scoring due to his brilliance from the penalty spot.

On FIFA 19, the 24-year-old has abilities of 93 stamina, 91 penalties and 88 standing tackle which will improve as his 85 overall reaches his 89 potential. Fabinho’s £114,000 a week wages will have to be improved by 2023, but for a world class midfielder in his prime it’s a no brainer. 

Full list of players ending contracts in 2023 above 81 OVR