England & Man Utd star Mary Earps 'will want to be playing Champions League' as summer transfer saga looms for out-of-contract Lioness

Earps has been the subject of mass transfer speculation for the past few months, with Arsenal strongly linked with a move for her last summer. The 30-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and so it has been no surprise to see the rumours continue to swirl, especially given she is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

Asked about the saga that has surrounded Earps, and is likely to continue to do so, former England midfielder Izzy Christiansen told GOAL: “It comes with the status. She's won The Best FIFA Goalkeeper award again. You don't just win that and then slip under the radar, do you?

“Mary Earps will want to be playing Champions League football, I've got no doubt, but also she's been absolutely exceptional at Man Utd and if she stays there, she'll continue to be exceptional. From Man Utd's perspective, they don't want to lose a player of her quality but it's going to be an interesting summer, I'm sure. I don't particularly want to see our England No.1 going to another country, or if she stays in the league then I suppose the fans will have to compromise, but United fans won't be happy, for sure.”

There is still a chance Earps stays at Man Utd but that could well depend on the season the team has. At the moment, the Red Devils are well off the pace in the Women’s Super League title race and could miss out on Champions League football, too, so the goalkeeper could understandably choose to join a club that is more regularly competing for trophies.

Earps might be the Lionesses’ undisputed No.1 now but she was in the international wilderness when Sarina Wiegman took over the England team in September 2021. Her appearance in the coach’s first game in charge of the Lionesses was her first for almost two years, when she played against Germany at Wembley in November 2019.

Off the pitch, Earps will spend the next few months considering what to do about her future. On it, she'll be focused on Man Utd's season, with the Red Devils' next fixture to see them take on Southampton in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday.