Several high-profile stars will be free to talk to clubs abroad when January begins as they enter the final six months of their contracts.
This comes following the Bosman ruling passed in 1995, which allows players aged 24 or over to leave their clubs without a transfer fee at the end of their contracts.
A number of players can follow that path with Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi and Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate among those to have been the subject of speculation in the past.
There will be decisions to make for clubs as well, as they may look to use January as a final chance to cash in on those players or offer new deals to resolve their situations.