05 January 2024 , 09:55
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The January transfer window has flung wide open both in the Women's Super League and across Europe.
Top clubs across the continent top clubs will be wheeling and dealing over the coming weeks as the sport's transfer market continues to grow.
And for a number of top stars in the WSL, and England internationals playing overseas, this month could prove pivotal to their future. Clubs with players entering the last six months of their current contract will need to either strike a fresh deal, or risk losing them for free in the summer.
Those in this situation in the WSL are now free to start negotiating with clubs outside of England and can strike a pre-contract agreement at any time. Although transfer fees have grown steadily in the women's game over the last few years, free transfers remain some of the highest profile deals.
For example last summer, Alessia Russo swapped Manchester United for Arsenal when she headed to the capital after United were unable to renegotiate her contract. It was a similar scenario when Bayern Munich completed a stunning double swoop for Chelsea's Magda Eriksson and Pernille Harder.
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So which players could be facing a big month with the transfer market open for business?
Mary Earps
Where else to start but with the England No.1 and newly crowned Sports Personality of the Year. Mary Earps' future at her club Manchester United has been the subject of intense scrutiny over the last six months.
Her current contract at Old Trafford expires in June. United manager Marc Skinner has repeatedly insisted he is hopeful of keeping Earps at the club, but alarm bells are ringing for supporters. They have already had to watch one of their most influential players leave for nothing in Russo and will be desperate to avoid a repeat.
Mary Earps with the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award (David Davies/PA Wire)If another WSL rival snapped up Earps, serious questions would have to be asked of United's women's operation and whether they are serious about unseating the likes of Chelsea. Arsenal have been heavily linked with Earps, having already seen a bid turned down for the England stopper last summer.
But the Gunners face serious competition to land one of the best keepers in the world, with PSG and Barcelona interested. The European heavyweights would have a head start on the Londoners at the negotiating table, with Earps free to talk to those clubs this month.
England's No.1 was critical of the speculation after winning SPOTY, telling BBC Sport: "A lot of stuff that's been put out, isn't true. I want to say more but I can't at this stage and it's really hard for me to sit [and be] quiet when I see a lot of things that are not right. I think it's an injustice but I know the appropriate thing to do is focus on my football and see what happens from there."
Katie Robinson
One of the WSL's upwardly mobile clubs, Brighton have big ambitions both on and off the pitch. But keeping perhaps their most prized asset will be vital to a successful 2024.
England winger Katie Robinson has been with the Seagulls since 2020, after leaving Bristol City for the south coast. The last two seasons have seen her break through at senior level with the Lionesses and help Brighton to top-flight stability, as well as the clubs' first Women's FA Cup semi-final.
But Robinson's current contract runs out in June and Melissa Phillips and the management team will be keen to hold onto one of their brightest stars. The likelihood is she'll stay put, but if a deal can't be agreed Brighton would only receive a fee if they sold her this month.
Sam Kerr
For many she is still the best player on the planet, but could Sam Kerr be leaving the WSL in 2024? Chelsea's star Aussie striker has not given any indication that she is about to leave west London.
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But her future is less certain than in previous years, with her current deal expiring at the end of the season. The picture is further muddied by the departure of Emma Hayes, who leaves Chelsea for the USWNT at the end of the season.
Sam Kerr after Chelsea won the 2022 Women's FA Cup (PA)Manager Hayes brought Kerr to the club back in 2019 and the full force of her impending exit has yet to be fully felt at Stamford Bridge. The smart money is still on the 'Million dollar Matilda' extending her stay with the WSL champions. However, the club hierarchy will want Kerr's future sewn up sooner rather than later to bring some stability to a tricky year.
Lucy Bronze
Perhaps the hardest to call on this list is the future of England right-back Lucy Bronze. The former UEFA Player of the Year is halfway through her second season at Barcelona, after signing a two-year deal with the Catalan giants when leaving Manchester City following Euro 2022. Her first season was outstanding, picking up a treble, despite an injury towards the end of the season that required minor surgery.
But the Spanish champions have yet to provide a formal update on her contract status, meaning the possibility of a return to England this year isn't off the cards. She may now be 32, but Bronze won't be short of offers, remaining one of the best defenders in world football.
Lucy Bronze celebrates with the UEFA Women's Champions League Trophy (Photo by Tullio Puglia - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)Having spent the vast majority of her senior career in Europe, could the England star perhaps be tempted by a move stateside? If she instead decides the new-look WSL is her best move, expect former club Manchester City to be at the front of the queue.
Fran Kirby
Another big name at Chelsea and another contract that needs tying up. Fran Kirby's deal at the Blues was originally due to expire last summer in 2023, before the club took up the option to extend it for another 12 months.
Now they are facing the prospect of renegotiating with one of their best players, with Hayes getting ready to leave the Chelsea hot seat. After missing the World Cup last year with injury, Kirby is now back to full fitness and has helped the Blues hit the top of the table before Christmas.
Will Fran Kirby (left) stay at Chelsea beyond Emma Hayes' departure at the end of 2023-24But will Hayes' departure lead her to question her own long-term future? Since leaving hometown club Reading in 2015 the England attacker has remained fiercely loyal to the Blues. But every player has their market value and Kirby is a player any club side in Europe would be desperate to have.
Her creativity, ball control and decision making, make Kirby one of the best No.10s in the women's game. Replacing her would be an extremely difficult task.