Manchester United captain Katie Zelem is set to leave the club on Sunday when her contract expires, according to sources.
The England midfielder and lifelong United fan has been with the club since they restructured their senior women’s team in 2018 and has been a mainstay in the starting XI for the past few years.
Her departure is expected to be made official within the next 24 hours. England goalkeeper Mary Earps is also expected to leave United after turning down the offer of a new contract and is thought to be seriously considering an offer from Paris Saint-Germain.
The circumstances surrounding Zellem’s departure are understood to be different, with the club reportedly having an option for a further year on her contract but choosing not to exercise it.
The 28-year-old is free to negotiate with other clubs and is likely to receive no shortage of offers having won 12 caps for England and been part of the Lionesses team that reached the final of last year’s Women’s World Cup.
The news comes after it was confirmed that Spain forward Lucia Garcia will leave United on a free transfer.
United are close to signing a forward, with Norwegian Elisabeth Terlund understood to have undergone a medical on Tuesday with a view to joining from Brighton. Terlund was the second-highest scorer in the WSL last season, tied with Chelsea’s Lauren James with 13 goals, behind Manchester City’s Bunny Shaw.
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United have had a tough week with the looming departures of Earps and Zelem, as well as a report in the Guardian that the women’s team will be relocating to portable buildings next season to allow the men’s team to use the women’s building at Carrington Training Complex.
