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Kerr exits Chelsea
Sam Kerr will leave Chelsea when her contract expires this summer, ending a six-and-a-half-year spell in west London that included her final game against Manchester United on Saturday at Stamford Bridge.
““Hi Chelsea fans, unfortunately this is for real this time. I wanted you to hear it from me, but this Saturday will be my final game for Chelsea,””
Kerr announced her departure in a video posted on social media, appearing with her 1-year-old son, Jagger, and telling Chelsea fans, “Hi Chelsea fans, unfortunately this is for real this time. I wanted you to hear it from me, but this Saturday will be my final game for Chelsea.”
Chelsea said Kerr leaves as its fourth-highest appearance maker with 157 appearances and with 115 goals in all competitions, sitting one goal behind Fran Kirby’s all-time Chelsea Women goals record heading into the final league match.
The BBC reported Kerr joined Chelsea in November 2019, helped the club win five WSL titles, three FA Cups, three League Cups and the Community Shield, and has twice won the Golden Boot.
Kerr has scored 16 goals in 29 appearances this season for Chelsea, with her goal against Leicester City taking her WSL tally to a record 64 as she goes into the game against Manchester United one behind equalling Fran Kirby’s all-time record of 116 goals for Chelsea.
Injury return and farewell
Kerr’s departure comes after a serious knee injury, with the BBC saying she suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury at a Chelsea training camp in January 2024 and spent 20 months on the sidelines.
The BBC added that Kerr returned to action after 637 days when she scored in a 3-1 win against Aston Villa in September 2025, and it said her goal against Leicester City took her WSL tally to a record 64 for Chelsea.
In her farewell remarks, Kerr told the club’s media channels, “When I reflect on my Chelsea career and doing it for the last time [against Manchester United this Saturday], I just feel happy,” and she added, “Happy that it happened, and I feel so grateful to have played for this club for six years and won as many trophies as we could.”
Sky Sports said Kerr’s final Chelsea game will be against Manchester United this Saturday and described her as an Australia international leaving the Women’s Super League club after six-and-a-half years where she scored 115 goals in 157 matches.
Sky Sports also noted Kerr was ruled out for 20 months due to a serious knee injury, returned last September, and has since scored 16 goals in 29 appearances this season for Chelsea.
Next chapter and club plans
Chelsea’s exit for Kerr is framed by the club’s immediate planning for the next season, with Sky Sports saying Chelsea need to reinvent a title-winning side without Kerr as Sonia Bompastor attempts to build around a new ensemble of players.
“Chelsea have reportedly offered the Jamaica striker a £1m-per-year contract.”
Sky Sports also reported that Bunny Shaw is expected to leave Manchester City when her contract expires at the end of the season, and it said there is believed to be interest in the striker from Chelsea among other clubs, including from the USA.
The Guardian reported that Kerr’s final match comes with one more goal available to equal Fran Kirby’s all-time Chelsea record, and it said Chelsea are understood to be the favourites to secure the signature of Manchester City striker Khadija Shaw, this season’s WSL top scorer.
In the Guardian’s account, Khadija Shaw has decided to leave City at the end of her contract this summer, and the paper said Chelsea have reportedly offered the Jamaica striker a £1m-per-year contract.
The BBC added that Kerr’s future is unknown and said sources close to the player have suggested a return to the National Women’s Soccer League in the United States is on the cards, after Australian broadcaster 10 News reported in April that Kerr had agreed a move to Denver Summit.
