Ellie Roebuck to Barcelona? Door opens for Lionesses star as goalkeeper Sandra Panos announces exit amid WSL and NWSL interest

It has been rumoured for some time that Panos would depart Barca in the summer when her contract expires and the 31-year-old confirmed as much on Friday. It follows reports in the January transfer window that the club were interested in signing Manchester City and England goalkeeper Roebuck, who is also set to become a free agent in a few months' time. The 24-year-old hasn't made a single appearance for her club this season after losing her starting spot to teenager Khiara Keating.

In a message to Barca fans on social media, Panos wrote: "I want to tell you that this will be my last season at FC Barcelona. After nine years defending the goal of the best team in the world, the time has come to end this stage.

"There have been many games and countless moments since I arrived at Barcelona in the summer of 2015. Here I have fulfilled dreams, and beyond the titles, filling the Camp Nou, and being one of the captains, I feel very grateful and privileged for what we have built together during this time. For me, the legacy we can leave to future generations goes beyond sporting success, and the social transformation of which this club has been a part makes me very proud.

"I know that when it is my turn to look back I will do so with the satisfaction and conviction of having given everything for this crest. Barca is and will always be my home, and the people who have been part of it are also my sporting family. We will have time to say goodbye as we deserve, and to thank all the wonderful people who have crossed paths and helped me in the most important stage of my life. Until then, I will continue to work to the maximum to help the team to keep winning, with the ambition and determination that we are so identified with. Let's enjoy these last few months together and fight for the titles that remain."

Clubs across the world had been put on alert by the rumours of Panos' departure in the last few months, with Marca reporting in November that there was interest in her services from teams in Spain, England, the US and Mexico. She is unlikely to be the only player to leave Barca this summer, too. Several stars are out of contract at the club, including England star Lucy Bronze, while Asisat Oshoala left earlier this week to join Bay FC in the NWSL.

Panos has won 15 major honours in her time with Barca so far, including two European titles. After the Catalans' first triumph in 2021, she was named the Champions League Goalkeeper of the Season.

Panos could go out on the ultimate high and end her time at the club with a quadruple. Barca have already won the Super Cup this season, they are nine points clear at the top of the league table and are in the quarter-finals of both the Spanish Cup and the Champions League. Off the pitch, the Catalans will hope to spend the second half of the campaign closing in on Panos' replacement, too, with news of that interest in Roebuck likely to only increase as her contract nears its expiry this summer.