Chelsea women are preparing for an overhaul of their squad this summer, with many stars having their contracts expire. Sam Kerr and Millie Bright are the top options to leave at the end of the season.
While Chelsea has reportedly offered Bright a new deal, multiple sources indicate the club captain prefers to depart, with her future destination unknown.
For Sam Kerr, there are strong links to multiple NWSL clubs. She is Chelsea's top scorer in all competitions with 10 goals after returning from a nearly 2-year absence due to her ACL injury. She has made more than 150 appearances for Chelsea since she joined in January of the 2019/20 season.
With Kerr's departure anticipated, Chelsea face growing concerns in attack, which explains the rumours of them pursuing Bunny Shaw at Manchester City, whose contract also expires this summer, but that seems unlikely. The other options are limited, Aggie Beever-Jones, but they also depend on contract renewal or option activation.
The only other striker is Mayra Ramirez, who is not reliable in terms of fitness, has not featured since a pre-season hamstring injury, and may miss the remainder of the season. Without external reinforcements, Chelsea risk entering next season short in the No.9 position.
Signing Shaw would solve this problem, as she is a traditional No.9; however, it looks like there are still positive talks about her staying up North.
Millie Bright is Chelsea's longest-serving player and has made the most WSL appearances, having joined the club in 2014 and now having over 300.
She signed a contract extension for a year in March 2025 which included an option to extend for a further 12 months. It is understood she would rather leave. According to reports,
Millie Bright wants to head north when her Chelsea contract expires this summer, and Man United is her preferred destination.
She has won six consecutive WSL titles and 10 domestic cup trophies; only the Champions League has eluded her. She has since been unavailable due to an ankle injury sustained in February in a 2-0 win over Spurs.
Bright faces significant competition in defence from younger centre–back options available when fit, including Naomi Girma and Kadeisha Buchanan, who has done amazingly well after being thrown into the deep end due to recent injuries following her ACL injury. Nathalie Bjorn, who is unfortunately out for the season due to injury, and Veerle Buurman, who has been deputising brilliantly, especially in the League Cup final.
Other players whose contract expired include Aggie Beever-Jones, Lucy Bronze, Hannah Hampton and Catarina Macario. But the club seem more interested in securing contract extensions for Lauren James, whose original contract was not due to expire, rather than for other key players who could leave imminently.
It is expected that Hampton will sign a new contract in the near future, and those discussions are ongoing, while Catarina Macario is strongly linked to the NWSL. Regarding the other players, there have been no definitive links on whether they will stay or leave, or where they would go.
The 2026 summer window will be busy, but uncertainty around the future of some players persists and is only amplified by Paul Green's departure as head of women's football after 13 years. He was instrumental in bringing all these players in and the rise in dominance. He was known for succession planning, squad evolution and long-term recruitment strategy. But some sources suggest that his exit could influence players' thinking about their futures, especially at Chelsea.
Since Emma Hayes' departure in the summer of 2024, Green's autonomy over recruitment has gradually been reduced, with figures from the men's team, who know nothing about women's football, deciding to become more involved, including sporting director Paul Winstanley.
From Hayes, who had a wide leadership remit, to Sonia Bompastor, who focused on technical and performance matters. There could be a situation like Thomas Tuchel, who did not want Ronaldo and refused. However, the club wanted him despite his lack of football knowledge, and he lost his job as a result.
Personally, if you leave recruitment to people who sit in an office and have never worked in a women's football environment, you will not get the best players; you will get a name on a shirt.
In February, Chelsea appointed Phil Radley as sporting director for the women’s team, with responsibility for recruitment, contracts and negotiations.
While the season still holds silverware opportunities, Chelsea face equally significant challenges off the pitch, with contract uncertainty, squad turnover and leadership changes shaping a defining summer ahead.
This could be a massive change for Chelsea. One thing the fans do not want to see. If it ain't broke, why fix it?
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