FIFA 19 Career Mode: Contract expiry signings ending in 2020

Contract expiry signings are the best kind of transfers on FIFA 19 Career Mode. The ability to sign world class talent on a free is pure genius, enabling you to pounce on players if their clubs are dawdling on offering them new contracts.

The following players will be available on contract expiry signings during the second season of FIFA 19 Career Mode. You must therefore wait until January 1st, 2020 to approach them, and fingers crossed they will still be available 18 months into your Career Mode. 

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

Eden Hazard (OVR 91 – POT 91)

Age: 27

Positions: LW, CF

Club: Chelsea

Country: Belgium

Work rate: High/Medium

Best stats: 94 balance, 94 ball control, 93 acceleration

Wage: £334,000 a week

What a player to start off. In any other year, Eden Hazard would have moved on after the World Cup, but with a new reduced transfer window in England, Chelsea could not afford to let him go. The Belgian looks happy again at Stamford Bridge netting five times in his first six games under new boss Maurizio Sarri. 

For your sake, you will be praying that the 27-year-old will not extend his contract before January 1st, 2020. If he doesn’t, you will be free to approach the 91-rated Hazard, making him worth the giant £334,000 a week wages. If you do snap up the left winger or centre forward, you will have his 94 balance, 94 ball control and 93 acceleration. 

Luka Modric (OVR 91 – POT 91)

Age: 33

Positions: CM, CDM

Club: Real Madrid

Country: Croatia

Work rate: High/High

Best stats: 94 balance, 93 agility, 93 short passing

Wage: £414,000 a week

Perhaps the third-best player in the world, Luka Modric won a third consecutive Champions League last season and fired Croatia to their first ever World Cup final over the summer. As a result, the central or defensive midfielder won the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award, adding to his World Cup Golden Ball.

Now Real Madrid’s best player after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo (OVR 94), Modric has a whopping £414,000 a week contract on Career Mode. Currently 33, the midfielder will be close to 35 by the time you can actually sign him, so unless you can slash his wages, he won’t be worth it. 94 balance, 93 agility and 93 short passing are his best stats at present. 

Sergio Ramos (OVR 91 – POT 91)

Age: 32

Positions: CB

Club: Real Madrid

Country: Spain

Work rate: High/Medium

Best stats: 93 jumping, 92 standing tackle, 91 sliding tackle

Wage: £378,000 a week

Joining Modric at Real Madrid is captain Sergio Ramos. He takes a lot of flak, but you cannot deny Ramos’ quality and his glittering career. The 32-year-old centre back has won La Liga four times, the Champions League four times, the European Championships twice and the World Cup. 

On FIFA 19, Ramos’s 91 overall has stats of 93 jumping, 92 standing tackle and 91 sliding tackle. His wages of £378,000 a week are very steep, but this should come down in 18 months’ time.

Edinson Cavani (OVR 89 – POT 89)

Age: 31

Positions: ST

Club: Paris Saint-Germain

Country: Uruguay

Work rate: High/High

Best stats: 93 positioning, 92 stamina, 91 reactions

Wage: £185,000 a week

A potent striker, but PSG will need to start preparing for life without Edinson Cavani. The striker spearheaded the attack between Neymar (OVR 92) and Kylian Mbappe (OVR 87) last season, scoring 40 goals in 47 games. He is now the club’s all-time top scorer, overtaking Zlatan Ibrahimovic (OVR 85) last season, and it looks to be a question of just how many he will head up with in Paris.

Aged 31, there is still enough time for you to snap Cavani up at end of next season. His 93 positioning, 92 stamina and 91 reactions stats as well as his 89 overall will fall by then, but that should also mean his £185,000 a week wages will also drop. Negotiate a strong deal and Cavani can lead your attack for a campaign. 

David Silva (OVR 89 – POT 89)

Age: 32

Positions: CAM, CM

Club: Manchester City

Country: Spain

Work rate: High/Medium

Best stats: 92 agility, 92 short passing, 92 composure

Wage: £251,000 a week

David Silva has come into his own under Pep Guardiola, and we are seeing the full display of his technical quality. Last season, the Spaniard scored 10 goals and notched 14 assists operating from a deeper, central midfield position, forming a formidable partnership with Kevin De Bruyne (OVR 91) in the middle of the park for Manchester City.

Silva is also around that awkward age of 32, making it a tricky decision whether to move for him in 2020. Keep an eye on how much his 89 overall drops, with his stats of 92 agility, 92 short passing and 92 composure still brilliant skills to have for attacking midfielder. Don’t be put off by his £251,000 a week wages, as they should have fallen by next season. 

Giorgio Chiellini (OVR 89 – POT 89)

Age: 34

Positions: CB

Club: Juventus

Country: Italy

Work rate: Medium/High

Best stats: 93 standing tackle, 93 marking, 92 aggression

Wage: £198,000 a week

A rock at the back, you get the impression that Giorgio Chiellini would do anything to ensure a clean sheet. Now the captain of both Juventus and Italy, Chiellini is in the Italian dynasty of great defenders following Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Nesta and Fabio Cannavaro. He has played for Juventus since 2004 but had to wait until 2012 for his first Serie A, but has now lifted it seven times in a row. 

Chiellini may just be too old at 34 to warrant a move on Career Mode, but keep an eye on him to see what the next 18 months hold. 93 standing tackle, 93 marking and 92 aggression give him an 89 rating, and he would still be good enough for any mid-table top-flight team in a couple seasons time as his £198,000 a week wages come crashing down. 

Christian Eriksen (OVR 88 – POT 91)

Age: 26

Positions: CAM, RM, CM

Club: Tottenham Hotspur

Country: Denmark

Work rate: High/Medium

Best stats: 92 stamina, 91 short passing, 91 vision

Wage: £194,000 a week

For many, he is Tottenham’s best player with Christian Eriksen able to do almost anything with the ball at feet. The attacking, right or central midfielder has scored 57 goals and a further 71 assists in his 232 Tottenham games so far, but how long can he wait without silverware? 

At 26, Eriksen is the perfect man to sign on a contract expiry with the 88-rated Dane set to be closer to his 91 potential by the end of next season. For £194,000 a week you will get his 92 stamina, 91 short passing and 91 vision to run your midfield. 

James Rodriguez (OVR 88 – POT 89)

Age: 27

Positions: CAM, CM, RM

Club: Bayern Munich (on loan from Real Madrid)

Country: Colombia

Work rate: Medium/Medium

Best stats: 90 volleys, 90 crossing, 90 ball control

Wage: £299,000 a week

A strange loan move from Real Madrid to Bayern Munich, but James Rodriguez showed his class last season by shining in the Bundesliga. In his first season at Bayern, the Colombian scored eight goals and added 14 assists, with a few injury problems hampering from improving those numbers. With league titles secured in Portugal, Spain and now Germany, you wonder if the attacking, central or right midfielder has his eyes on the Premier League in the future.

Another man of prime age to sign, the 27-year-old Rodriguez will return to Real Madrid next season, but he is another one to keep tabs on as he could easily sign a new deal with Los Blancos or join Bayern on a permanent. If he doesn’t, you can pick him up on a contract expiry signing in 2020 when his 88 overall could have hit his 89 potential. Stats of 90 volleys, 90 crossing and 90 ball control make James worth his £299,000 a week wages. 

Thiago Silva (OVR 88 – POT 88)

Age: 33

Positions: CB

Club: Paris Saint-Germain

Country: Brazil

Work rate: High/High

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

Wage: £154,000 a week

We finish with Thiago Silva who could realistically leave PSG next year with Marquinhos (OVR 84) and Presnel Kimpembe (OVR 83) continuing to develop. The centre back has had a fantastic career, winning Serie A with AC Milan before lifting five Ligue 1 titles with PSG, but is there enough time left on the clock for the Brazilian rock to enjoy success with your side on Career Mode?

At his age, Silva’s 88 overall would have fallen in two years’ time when you finally get your hands on him, but with stats of 90 jumping, 89 interceptions and 89 standing tackle, he will still be a reliable defender. If you can haggle those £154,000 a week wages down, then he may just be worth moving for. 

Jordi Alba (OVR 87 – POT 87)

Age: 29

Positions: LB

Club: Barcelona

Country: Spain

Work rate: High/Medium

Best stats: 93 acceleration, 93 sprint speed, 91 stamina

Wage: £220,000 a week

Perhaps the best left back in the world last season, Jordi Alba is one of Barcelona’s greatest attacking threats, even from defence. The 29-year-old picked up 11 assists as the Catalans won La Liga and the Copa del Rey, taking his personal trophy tally to 14. The timing of his success is what looks to have cost him a place in the FIFPro World XI, with the Spaniard never making the team, even when winning the Champions League in 2015. 

Alba is blessed with great pace, as shown by his 93 acceleration, 93 sprint speed and 91 stamina attributes. Those give him an 87 overall rating, which you can snipe in 2020 for wages of £220,000 a week.

Full list of players ending contracts in 2020 above 82 OVR