Alexia Putellas, Mary Earps and the 10 biggest women's players set for 2026 summer transfers

By far the biggest star on this list is Alexia Putellas, the two-time Ballon d'Or winner who has a real shot at a third Golden Ball later this year after a wonderful final season with Barcelona. Putellas ended her 14-year stint with the Catalans last month by winning the Champions League, having played a starring role in a remarkable quadruple.

Before the conclusion of that campaign, rumours had been circulating of interest in the Spain international from London City Lionesses, the Women's Super League side that are heavily-backed by billionaire Michele Kang, who also owns Lyon and the Washington Spirit. At that time, it was unclear if Putellas would be signing a new contract at Barca or looking for a new challenge.

Now that the latter has been confirmed, London City are the front-runners to sign the 32-year-old, who has swatted away interest from the WSL's 'Big Four' - Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United - according to Mundo Deportivo. It reports that Putellas does not want to join a club that could become a rival of Barca. As such, the NWSL has been touted as a possible destination for the midfielder, who has also turned down offers from Central America and Saudi Arabia.

One of the many names on this list whose next destination appears set in stone, Beth Mead announced her departure from Arsenal at the end of the season, after winning every trophy possible during her nine years at the club. Though not a consistent starter for the Gunners this past year when compared to other seasons, the England international still made plenty of telling contributions and remains a game-changer at the top level.

Those qualities appear to appeal to Manchester City, with The Athletic reporting on their interest in Mead in April. On a personal level, it makes lots of sense, as the 31-year-old's partner, Vivianne Miedema, plays for the club. As for a footballing sense, it's an interesting move, as City are well-stocked in the wide areas, though rotation will be necessary next season as they return to the Champions League, having won the WSL title.

Left-back is going to be a position of real interest in this upcoming transfer window, as it appears that several are going to be on the move. One who was not initially expected to be is Niamh Charles, as she is still under contract at Chelsea until next year. However, according to The Athletic, it appears that the England international is now set for a move north, to join Manchester City.

The new WSL champions are in need of a left-back as Leila Ouahabi has left upon the expiry of her contract and Alex Greenwood, at her best as a centre-back, has been filling in on the left for a large part of the season. Bringing in Charles, then, will free up the club captain to move back into her preferred role while also bolstering a position that needs as much.

It should also be really good news for the 26-year-old, too. Charles has been England's first-choice left-back at times but is facing a fight for that spot now, especially while she battles for minutes at club level. If she is top of the pecking order there for City, it should have positive consequences on the international scene.

Another name whose next destination comes with little mystery, Georgia Stanway is expected to become an Arsenal player this summer. The England midfielder confirmed in January that she would be leaving Bayern Munich at the end of the season, with her able to bow out with another domestic treble after a successful four-year spell in Germany.

The Gunners are very reliant on both Kim Little and Mariona Caldentey in midfield, with the removal of either player often leading to a lower level of performance. Reinforcing that area of the park with more quality has, unsurprisingly, been a priority for the club this summer, and Stanway will do exactly that.

London City Lionesses don't just have their sights set on bringing in Putellas from Barcelona this summer - the club is also targeting another stalwart of the Catalans' success, in Mapi Leon. The 30-year-old is one of the best centre-backs in the world, if not the very best, and she was excellent as Barca won the quadruple this season.

Leon's departure from Catalunya was confirmed before the end of the campaign, bringing her nine-year stay to an end, and all signs point to her moving to England to join London City. It would be a massive pick-up for the WSL side, as they look to progress after finishing sixth in their first year in the top-flight.

It's been a difficult end to a prolific chapter at Chelsea for Sam Kerr, who suffered an ACL injury in early 2024 that would keep her on the sidelines for 20 months. She has spent the past season getting back up to speed after such a long absence and has had inconsistent spells as a result. However, she has also shown her class and ability to be decisive in big moments, before confirming her departure prior to the season's end.

Where next, then, for a player who shone at the Asian Cup in March, ended the campaign with seven goals in her final seven Chelsea games and signed off as the Blues' all-time top goal-scorer in the WSL? Kerr shot down rumours of a move to the Denver Summit in the NWSL a few weeks ago, but it is the top-flight in the United States that many seem to assume she will return to.

The Australia international previously spent six seasons Stateside and left the division as its all-time leading goal-scorer, until being overtaken in 2024.

While Real Madrid's women's team continues to underwhelm, unable to get anywhere near Barcelona in Liga F and still yet to lift a major title since being established in 2020, what Caroline Weir has done since signing for Las Blancas has been incredible. The Scotland international began with a bang in the 2022-23 campaign and, despite being dealt a cruel ACL injury the next year, she picked up where she left off in the 2024-25 season to rack up 18 combined league goals and assists, a total she surpassed this year with 19.

Weir's contract is up this summer and the opportunity is there for her to move on to a title-winning team, where her regular contributions can lead to silverware rather than just individual praise. Lyon, this year's Champions League runners-up, were reported as being in advanced negotiations with the 30-year-old by ESPN in March.

Ona Batlle is another of the players leaving Barcelona on a free transfer this summer. The full-back, one of the best in the world, re-joined the club in 2023, having come through the youth set-up before enjoying her senior breakthrough elsewhere. Now, after three years with her childhood team, she is on the move again and is set to return to England, where she was previously with Manchester United.

Batlle has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal and has been for several months now. The Gunners' full-back room was already well-stocked at that point, with Emily Fox, Taylor Hinds, Smilla Holmberg and Katie McCabe all options, but to add a player of Batlle's quality was clearly very enticing and McCabe's move to Chelsea now opens up a gap, too.

In years gone by, Mary Earps' future has been one of the hottest topics of the summer. She was the subject of much speculation in 2023, with Arsenal understood to be interested, only for her to remain at Manchester United. She eventually left the Red Devils the following summer and joined Paris Saint-Germain.

In the coming weeks, Earps' contract in the French capital is set to expire, and while her availability in the market is not quite creating the same buzz as in years gone by, the former Lionesses No.1 will be a great pick-up for a club looking for an experienced shot-stopper with a high ceiling.

For a while, there was not been too much concrete reporting on where Earps, now 33 years old, could end up, but London City Lionesses were the team emerging in most rumours. On Monday,BBC Sport then revealed that the former England international had agreed personal terms to join the club from the capital, with a return home imminent.

Arsenal have been extremely proactive when it comes to the free agency market, and Selina Cerci could be another player the Gunners add to their squad this summer. The 26-year-old is out of contract at Hoffenheim and has attracted plenty of interest after scoring more Bundesliga goals than any other player in the last two years, to share the 2024-25 Golden Boot and fall one short of repeating the trick in 2025-26.

ESPN understands that Cerci is talking to several WSL clubs, rather than just Arsenal, which makes sense. After all, while the Gunners are a big club, they do already have two strikers in the first-team, in Alessia Russo and Stina Blackstenius, with Michelle Agyemang also coming through the ranks.

Opportunities for Cerci could be limited in north London, with another destination perhaps to make more sense when it comes to her minutes. It'll be interesting to see what decision she makes.