Earps and Leon Set for London City Lionesses Transfer

Former England goalkeeper Mary Earps has reportedly reached a personal agreement to sign with London City Lionesses this summer. Sources indicate that the Women’s Super League side has also secured a verbal understanding with Spain defender Mapi Leon, who departed Barcelona last month after a nine-year stint. Both athletes are anticipated to finalize their contracts within the current month, marking a significant step in London City Lionesses’ efforts to showcase their ambitions during the WSL transfer window.

Earps’ anticipated return to English football represents a major acquisition, given her extensive list of individual honors throughout her international career. The 33-year-old is departing Paris Saint-Germain as her contract expires following two seasons in France. During the current campaign, she featured in 22 matches for PSG, recording 12 clean sheets as the club secured third place in the Premiere Ligue, finishing 13 points behind champions Lyon. A two-time winner of the FIFA Best Goalkeeper award, Earps was instrumental in England’s triumph at Euro 2022 and their journey to the 2023 World Cup final. Prior to her move to France, she spent five years at Manchester United, where she made over 100 appearances and contributed to the team’s first major trophy in 2024, the Women’s FA Cup.

Meanwhile, Leon has left Barcelona, a club where she accumulated 27 trophies and became part of one of Europe’s most decorated squads. The 30-year-old defender claimed four Champions League titles during her time at the Catalan club, including the most recent edition, in which she started in the 4-0 victory over Lyon. Leon has earned 54 caps for Spain; however, she was part of a group of players who boycotted the national team for nearly three years due to disputes regarding working conditions and tensions with the Spanish Football Federation that emerged in 2022. Consequently, she was absent from the squad for the 2023 World Cup, which Spain ultimately won against England. Leon resumed international duty in October 2025, starting in the Nations League final a month later as Spain defeated Germany 3-0.

London City Lionesses, supported by American entrepreneur Michele Kang, placed sixth in their inaugural WSL season. They may experience an exceptionally active transfer period, as they remain in contention for two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas. Putellas, 32, revealed last week that she is departing Barcelona after 14 years. Her choice of destination is expected to dominate headlines throughout the summer window.

Other notable movements include Australia captain Sam Kerr, who is available on a free transfer following her departure from Chelsea, while the Blues are preparing to acquire Arsenal defender Katie McCabe. Manchester City are favored to sign England forward Beth Mead, who also left Arsenal, and have been linked with Chelsea’s Niamh Charles. Additionally, Arsenal are poised to sign England midfielder Georgia Stanway from Bayern Munich and Spain defender Ona Batlle from Barcelona.

Source: BBC News Generated at: 2026-06-01 14:22:42 UTC