Sam Kerr will leave Chelsea when his contract expires this summer.
Kerr is the Women’s Super League’s all-time leading scorer and one of the most iconic figures in the women’s game.
The Australian forward has scored 115 goals in 157 games in all competitions since joining Chelsea six-and-a-half years ago.
She is just one goal behind Chelsea’s all-time leading scorer Fran Kirby and has a chance to equal and surpass that tally in the club’s final game against Manchester United, kick-off at 1pm on Saturday.
“When I look back at my career at Chelsea and the fact that it’s the last one (against Manchester United this Saturday), I just feel happy,” Kerr said of his departure.
“I’m glad it happened and I’m very grateful to have been able to play for this club for six years and win as many trophies as possible.”
Kerr leaves Chelsea having won five Women’s Super League titles, three FA Cups, three League Cups and the Community Shield.
The 32-year-old won the WSL Golden Boot twice in her first full season with the club in 2021 and 2022. He also finished second in the Ballon d’Or in 2023, but was sidelined for 20 months due to a serious knee injury.
She returned last September and has scored 16 goals in 29 appearances for Chelsea this season.
Analysis: Chelsea need to rebuild a team that can win titles without Kerr
Laura Hunter on Sky Sports:
Kerr became Chelsea’s all-time WSL scorer with his goal against Leicester earlier this month. It was the first time since May 2023 that she found the back of the net in three consecutive WSL matches.
Getting back to form in time to make history for Chelsea is right in Kerr’s code. The way she scored her 64th goal was also typical, perfectly timed to line up with Niamh Charles’ floated ball.
Kerr’s double movement makes her particularly difficult to track, and even if defenders manage to keep her touch tight, her physical superiority and aerial power are so great that she is rarely beaten with a header.
The goal meant that Chelsea would play in European football next season, with manager Sonia Bompastre inevitably looking to rebuild the title-winning team with a new squad. Champions like Kerr, the now-retired Millie Bright and Guro Leiten, who left in January, were pillars of the bygone Emma Hayes era.
Bompastor must now find a mainstay around which he can build. Perhaps no one has been more prolific than the great Sam Kerr. But she has an iconic figure to model Chelsea’s next generation of strikers from.
The 32-year-old won the WSL Golden Boot twice in her first full season with the club in 2021 and 2022. He also finished second in the Ballon d’Or in 2023, but was sidelined for 20 months due to a serious knee injury.
She returned last September and has scored 16 goals in 29 appearances for Chelsea this season.
Will Man City’s Shaw replace Kerr at Chelsea?
Bunny Shaw’s contract expires at the end of this season and he is expected to leave Manchester City.
After months of talks about a potential new deal, Shaw is understood to want to consider other options.
The Chelsea striker is thought to have interest from other clubs, including from the United States.
Shaw scored twice as City came from behind to beat Chelsea and book a place in the Women’s FA Cup final.



