Mary Earps, Lucy Bronze & the women's football stars whose contracts expire in 2024

England No.1 Mary Earps is one of the most high-profile names on this list, with her future at Manchester United having been under the microscope for a while. There was a lot of speculation in the summer regarding interest from Arsenal, and although there is no suggestion that the Gunners will try and sign the 30-year-old this month, there is also a lack of news when it comes to United tying her down to a new deal.

New rumours have since emerged, linking the England star to clubs abroad, with her outstanding performances for her country at the Euros and the World Cup unsurprisingly catching the eye of many.

Adding fuel to the fire is the news that Earps has just changed agencies, joining the high-profile A&V ahead of the January window opening. Could that mean something? We’ll soon see.

Though Alexia Putellas currently fits into the category of a player soon to be out of contract, reports suggest that her deal at Barcelona is very close to being renewed. While several names look set to become free agents in the summer, Barca have prioritised the renewals of Putellas and Mariona Caldentey, having already secured the futures of both Patri Guijarro and Mapi Leon.

Lots has been said about Putellas’ future in recent months, but her celebration after scoring against Benfica in the Champions League in November said it all, a kiss of the badge suggesting that she is going nowhere.

The bad news is that it’s currently unclear when the two-time Ballon d’Or winner will take to the field again, with her undergoing keyhole surgery on her knee over the winter break to examine an ongoing problem.

Scorer of 99 goals in her 128 appearances for the club, Sam Kerr’s Chelsea contract expires this summer. The Australian has been a sensation since arriving in London in January 2020, winning 10 trophies in just four years while establishing herself as one of the team’s most important players.

There is a lot of speculation regarding whether or not she’ll remain in England beyond the current season. It would be naive to ignore the part that Kerr’s engagement to United States women’s national team midfielder Kristie Mewis plays here, too, as the pair spoke in the U.S.’s recent Netflix documentary about being “over” the long-distance nature of their relationship.

Mewis has since arrived in London to sign for West Ham and that could be a sign that Kerr is going to stay with Chelsea, especially with BBC Sport reporting that Mewis' contract is an 18-month one. If the Hammers fail to avoid the drop, though, that could change everything.

That Blues boss Emma Hayes is set to depart in May to take over the USWNT has put greater spotlight on the expiring contracts at Chelsea. Could uncertainty over who will lead the team forward have an impact on players like Kerr choosing to stay? Only time will tell.

In 2023, Lucy Bronze became the first English player to win the Women’s Champions League with two different clubs, adding a title with Barcelona to the three she collected in her time with Lyon. With European football essentially completed, could a new challenge for her beckon this year?

Bronze is out of contract in the summer and the arrival of Ona Batlle last summer means that Barca are well-stocked in the full-back department. Rumours of Bronze going to the U.S., where she excelled in her college days, have long been touted but never realised. Could 2024 be the year that the England star explores that option? Or could something entirely different be on the cards for the 32-year-old?

One of England’s most talented young players, Lauren Hemp has transformed into a remarkably consistent winger during her time with Manchester City, having joined the club in the summer of 2018. Recent times have seen the 23-year-old add regular goal-scoring to her game, taking another step forward in her development that has helped City become even stronger.

The club will be desperate to keep her around, that much is for sure, and BBC Sport reported earlier this month that they are indeed in talks with Hemp about a new deal. But this is a player that would strengthen most teams on the planet, so she’s sure to have some attractive options if she chooses to open a new chapter in her career.

Another Chelsea star in the final year of her contract, Fran Kirby has become one of the very best players in the Women’s Super League since signing for the club nine years ago. She has won 13 major honours in that time and was also part of the England team that were crowned European champions at Wembley in the summer of 2022.

In recent times, Kirby has formed a deadly partnership with Kerr at Chelsea that has helped the club become the dominant force in English women’s football, though some setbacks through injury and illness have disrupted her along the way.

Despite that, Kirby remains an incredibly valuable player for the club and has blossomed from an exciting young talent into an experienced creative outlet during her time in the capital. Hayes has long described player and club as “a perfect match”, and fans will be desperate for that relationship to continue even with the manager set to depart - though Kirby's admission that there have been "no conversations" with the club yet on a new deal will be a concern.

This summer, Ada Hegerberg will celebrate the 10th anniversary of her transfer to Lyon, with the past decade seeing the Norway international become a Ballon d'Or winner, a six-time European champion and the Women's Champions League's all-time top goal-scorer. But could that association come to an end before the landmark date arrives?

Hegerberg has won everything she can with Lyon and she’s done it multiple times. Could she choose to pursue a new challenge? With a club like Barcelona regularly linked to the 28-year-old, fans could hardly begrudge her for doing so.

But the forward has long expressed her love for OL and it would, equally, not be a surprise to see her extend her stay with the French giants.

Barcelona have several players whose contracts are coming to an end, and the suggestions are that Asisat Oshoala could be one of those who moves onto pastures new.

The Nigeria international has long contributed her fair share of goals for the Catalan side, helping them to win 12 major honours since 2019 – including two Champions League titles - but not always as a first-choice No.9. Indeed, she has only started two league games this season, but has scored five times.

There are not many rumours when it comes to potential destinations right now, but such transfer talk is only set to intensify over the coming weeks and months.

One of the clubs with a very big job on its hands when it comes to renewing contracts is Real Madrid. There are 13 players on Las Blancas’ books whose deals are set to expire in the summer, and chief among them is Teresa Abelleira, who is gathering interest from across Europe after being one of the most impressive performers in Spain’s World Cup win last year.

Abelleira went into that tournament having had a reduced role at her club in the season that preceded it, but she was outstanding in midfield as La Roja became champions of the world and has been much more of a fixture for Real this campaign, too.

According to Relevo, the attention on Abelleira from clubs abroad has had an impact on Madrid’s negotiations for a new deal, with her the first of the 13 to have a contract on the table. But there has been no news of any development since that report in early November.

One of several shot-stoppers on this list, Ellie Roebuck is yet to make an appearance for Man City this season having lost the No.1 spot to 19-year-old Khiara Keating while Lioness-turned-Scotland international Sandy MacIver continues to operate as the team’s cup goalkeeper.

Though available on a free transfer in the summer, all signs point to the 24-year-old moving on in January, especially with her having lost her place in the England squad as a result of a lack of playing time.

Roebuck remains one of the best in the WSL in her position and should have her fair share of suitors, especially given the number of other goalkeepers coming close to the end of their contracts.

There are several contracts at Lyon coming to an end and another of those belongs to Delphine Cascarino. The France international came through the youth system at the club, having joined it at 12 years old, and has firmly established herself in the first team since debuting back in 2015.

Now aged 26, Cascarino has won 22 trophies in the last nine years with Lyon and was even named Player of the Year at the UNFP Awards last May, having shone on her way to an eighth league title. Sadly, though, the forward has spent the last seven months sidelined with a devastating ACL injury that caused her to miss France’s World Cup campaign.

Elsewhere in France, Sakina Karchaoui is coming to the end of her current contract with Paris Saint-Germain. Widely regarded as one of the best full-backs around, such is her ability on both sides of the ball, Karchaoui has been superb since arriving in the capital three years ago.

However, PSG are so often the bridesmaid in French women’s football, winning just one top-flight title thanks to the dominance of Lyon. That extends into Europe, too, with the club reaching two UWCL finals but yet to lift the continent’s biggest trophy. If Karchaoui was to choose to move on and join a club more capable of challenging for silverware, she would not be short of options.

Another goalkeeper and another Barca star, renewing Sandra Panos' expiring contract was reported by Marca in November as "not a priority" for the club, putting clubs in Spain, England, Mexico and the U.S. on alert.

Cata Coll, eight years Panos’ junior, emerged as Spain’s No.1 goalkeeper during last year’s World Cup and she has had more chances at Barca this season, too, with that a further sign that Panos’ time at the club is coming to an end.

The 31-year-old has incredible pedigree and her skillset is sure to be of interest to several clubs, especially given the goalkeeper merry-go-round that seems likely. In the last seven years, Panos has played a huge role in Barca winning 13 major honours.

Bayern Munich have a couple of high-profile names who are out of contract this summer, and Sydney Lohmann is arguably the most notable. The 23-year-old is extremely highly-rated and has a very bright future to come, too, especially after a couple of tricky years with injuries.

Speaking to SPORT1 over the winter break, Lohmann admitted that she could envisage a move abroad, saying: “I'm a very open type, I like to learn something about other cultures and I'm sociable. That would basically suit me.”

However, despite some rumours of interest from Real Madrid, Bayern fans can seemingly rest easy, as the playmaking Germany international also added that she is in “discussions” with the club about a new deal. “After my injuries I wanted to get back into the rhythm of the game. That was a priority,” she explained of the delay.

One Bayern player there hasn’t been much update on with regards to her expiring contract, though, is Lina Magull. The 29-year-old has found starting berths hard to come by this season, featuring just four times from the off in all competitions and not once in the Champions League.

A muscle injury did interrupt her campaign for a couple of weeks and has contributed slightly to that, but it’s still been a surprise to see her on the bench as often as she has been, especially given how important she was to head coach Alexander Straus in his first season in charge.

Magull has spent her entire career in Germany to date, but previously told GOAL and SPOX that it would be "interesting" to add "an international experience" to her CV, even if she was happy in Munich and Germany. At 29 years old and with her contract coming up this summer, could 2024 be the year she chooses a new chapter? Reports suggest that could be the case, Magull linked with a move to Italy to join Inter.

Another goalkeeper that could be on the move in the coming months is Mackenzie Arnold, the 29-year-old who shone for Australia during their home World Cup last year to earn a nomination for The Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper award.

Arnold has been playing for West Ham since 2020, but with the Hammers failing to kick on in the WSL, seemingly facing a relegation battle this season, top clubs have unsurprisingly been eyeing up the Aussie, with her linked with Manchester United last summer amid rumours of Arsenal looking to sign Earps.

If the England star moves on this year, could the Red Devils turn their attention to Arnold again? If they do, they’ll likely have competition for someone who starred on the biggest of stages in 2023.

Another club with several players out of contract in 2024 is Juventus. While many might expect veterans Cristiana Girelli and Barbara Bonansea to renew their expiring deals in the coming months, the situation of Julia Grosso is particularly interesting.

The Canada international, who was part of the team that won Olympic gold in 2021, was a target of Man City in January of last year, but Juve were unwilling to sell. In light of that interest, the Italian giants were keen to tie Grosso down to a new deal that included a hefty release clause, but they have yet to do so despite 12 months passing by.

So, with the expiration of that contract now approaching, what happens next for the 23-year-old will be interesting. As one of Serie A’s best midfielders and someone with a big future, she is sure to have plenty of options if she chooses to look at leaving Turin.

Chelsea have a busy few months on their hands when it comes to contract situations, because as well as Kerr, Kirby and veteran defender Maren Mjelde, Ann-Katrin Berger has a deal that is set to expire.

Berger’s future is particularly interesting because of the bloated goalkeeper group that the Blues have. She is one of four senior internationals in the position on the club’s books, alongside Sweden’s Zecira Musovic, England’s Hannah Hampton and Belgium’s Nicky Evrard, the latter of whom is on loan at Brighton after arriving in London last summer. There are plenty of options already at the club, then, if Chelsea do not choose to exercise the option for a further year in Berger's contract.

Whether the 33-year-old stays or goes will have a big impact on that competition between the sticks, and possibly the goalkeeper merry-go-round that could be on its way in the women’s game this summer, with the German currently the most regularly chosen shot-stopper by Hayes.

Kosovare Asllani is an icon of her generation, a player who has represented so many of the game's biggest clubs and, this summer, she could be on the move again. Formerly of PSG, Man City and Real Madrid, Asllani has spent the last season and a half with Milan, and it is a time that has been underwhelming as the club has failed to really challenge for trophies.

The Sweden international’s class is still there for all to see, though, and despite her now being 34 years old, there are sure to be top clubs interested if she becomes available for free in a few months’ time. What could the next chapter of her illustrious career look like?

Katie Robinson may not be as established a name as many on this list, but her situation is just as interesting at Brighton. The 21-year-old has spent the past 18 months making waves in the England set-up, with head coach Sarina Wiegman clearly keen on what the young winger brings to the table as she not only chose to give her a debut in November 2022, but she also took her to the World Cup.

Robinson enjoys regular game time at Brighton and that could play a part in the club keeping hold of her as her current contract nears its expiry, but if she chooses to take the next step in her career, then there are sure to be a number of clubs eager to snap up a highly-rated young forward on a free transfer.