Every Championship free agent this summer including Jamie Vardy, QPR’s key man, and £5.8m Blackburn star

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The summer transfer window is fast approaching, but it’s not all about the big money moves. There are plenty of free agents hitting the market next month, and we’ve got the full list of all the Championship players being released.

While the season coming to an end is always a sad time for football fans, it does lead to one of the most exciting times of the year: The summer transfer window.

Championship clubs will be preparing to freshen up their squads this summer with the battle for promotion (and survival) in 2025/26 having potential to give us the best second tier campaign of all time next term.

Obviously, being able to spend tens of millions of pounds helps, but it’s not a guarantee for success. And based on the list of players being released by clubs in the coming weeks, there’s a lot of top talent available for nothing this summer.

• READ MORE: Early predictions for 2025/26 Championship, as Southampton win promotion and Charlton Athletic doomed for relegation

The best players becoming free agents in the Championship this summer

Jamie Vardy

The highest profile free agent this summer is Jamie Vardy, who is leaving Leicester City after 13 years at the club. He’s a Foxes legend, but could end up at Sheffield Wednesday, while big offers are expected from the MLS and Saudi Arabia.

Tyrhys Dolan

With seven goals and six assists to his name, it’s no wonder Tyrhys Dolan is valued at £5.8m, but Blackburn Rovers are now set to lose him for absolutely nothing.

Blackburn offered Dolan a new deal but he’s poised to turn that down and pursue a new adventure, with Middlesbrough thought to be pushing hard for his signature.

Emil Riis

Preston North End had a terrible campaign in 2024/25, and now they’re about to lose their top scorer, Emil Riis. The big Danish striker scored 12 goals this season, but is coming to the end of his contract at Deepdale.

Jimmy Dunne

QPR will be a far weaker side without the solid presence of Jimmy Dunne at the back, who is ready to leave for nothing in the coming weeks. Sheffield United are chasing Dunne as Chris Wilder looks to rebuild his Blades squad this summer.

Harry Darling

Swansea City are also going to lose one of their key defenders this summer, with Harry Darling out of contract soon. Both Wrexham and Birmingham are keen on Darling, and he’s set to make a decision on his future very soon.

Rhian Brewster

After Sheffield United’s play-off defeat, the Blades are going back to the drawing board. One victim of this rebuild could be Rhian Brewster, who is coming to the end of his contract. But, we know Chris Wilder does appreciate him, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see a new deal given out soon.

Pol Valentin

On the other side of Sheffield, the Owls have released a number of fairly decent players, with Pol Valentin one man who will certainly attract interest this summer. The versatile defender will be a solid pick-up for someone in the coming weeks.

Grady Diangana

Things are going to change substantially at West Brom, too, with a new manager inbound — Ryan Mason is the favourite for that gig. The plan is for the Baggies to cut ties with a number of players and start fresh with the young coach, and Grady Diangana is on his way out.

• READ MORE: Leicester City and Southampton tap into £1.6bn fund as relegation Parachute payments explained

Every player being released this summer

The following players at each club are due to become free agents on June 30, 2025, when their current contracts come to an end. Any player marked with an * has been offered a new deal but is yet to accept.

Birmingham City

Grant Hanley, Lee Myung-Jae

Blackburn Rovers

Tyrhys Dolan*, Andreas Weimann*, Danny Batth*, Dilan Markanday, Jack Vale, Zak Gilsenan, Patrick Gamble, Tom Bloxham, Adam Forshaw

Bristol City

Nahki Wells*, Lewis Thomas*, Stefan Bajic, Ayman Benarous, Kal Naismith, Kai Churchley, Tim Ap Sion, Marley Rose, Romani Rowe, Callum Wood, Sam Bell, Mark Sykes

Charlton Athletic

Thierry Small, Tennai Watson, Chuks Aneke, Dean Bouzanis

Coventry City

Cian Tyler, Jack Burroughs, Ryan Howley

Derby County

Tom Barkhuizen, Sonny Bradley, Tyrese Fornah, Conor Washington, Rohan Luthra, Jeff Hendrick, Erik Pieters, Kemar Roofe, Craig Forsyth*, Liam Thompson*

Hull City

Brandon Fleming, Callum Jones, Nordin Amrabat, Dogukan Sinik

Ipswich Town

Axel Tuanzebe, Cameron Burgess, Massimo Luongo

Leicester City

Danny Ward, Jamie Vardy

Middlesbrough

Anfernee Dijksteel, Jonny Howson*

Millwall

Shaun Hutchinson, Murray Wallace, Duncan Watmore, Aaron Connolly, George Saville*, George Honeyman*, Danny McNamara*, Liam Roberts*, George Evans*

Norwich City

Angus Gunn, Jacob Sørensen, Onel Hernández, Archie Mair, Jonathan Tomkinson

Oxford United

Josh McEachran, Joe Bennett, Max Woltman, Eddie Brearey, George Franklin, Matt Ingram*

Preston North End

Emil Riis, Ryan Ledson, Freddie Woodman, Patrick Bauer, Kian Best, Kian Taylor, Josh Seary

QPR

Jimmy Dunne*, Kenneth Paal, Lucas Andersen*, Jack Colback*, Morgan Fox*, Joel Halliday*, Noah McCann*, Kieran Petrie*

Sheffield United

Rhian Brewster

Sheffield Wednesday

Pol Valentin, Stuart Armstrong, Ben Hamer, Ryo Hatsuse, Michael Ihiekwe, Marvin Johnson, Mallik Wilks

Southampton

Kyle Walker-Peters, Jack Stephens, Adam Lallana, Joe Lumley

Stoke City

Jordan Thompson, Lynden Gooch, Michael Rose, Enda Stevens

Swansea City

Joe Allen, Kyle Naughton, Cyrus Christie, Kristian Pedersen, Jon McLaughlin, Harry Darling*

Watford

Angelo Ogbonna

West Brom

Semi Ajayi, Grady Diangana, John Swift, Fenton Heard, Josh Shaw, Reece Hall, Ted Cann

Wrexham

Steven Fletcher, Mark Howard, Josh Adam, Jordan Davies, Harry Dean, Brad Foster, Liam Hall, Sam Dalby, Callum Edwards*