Sam Kerr is on the verge of leaving Chelsea this summer after agreeing a deal to move to the newly created NWSL side Denver Summit according to reports.
The Colorado-based club entered the American top flight at the start of the 2026 season, with long-time Manchester City manager Nick Cushing leading the club through their inaugural campaign.
Kerr Makes US Return
According to Australian outlet 10 News, Kerr has agreed a deal to leave Chelsea at the end of this campaign to make her return to the United States with Denver Summit, having previously played for Gotham FC and Chicago Stars prior to her switch to London in 2020.
The 32-year-old, however, has been increasingly on the fringes under Sonia Bompastor this season, starting just two Women’s Super League matches this season out of 15 appearances in the league.
She has been more involved since her return from the Asian Cup, playing a full 90 minutes against Aston Villa and then Arsenal in the second leg of their Women’s Champions League quarter-final, where she assisted Sjoeke Nusken’s only goal of the game, which was not enough to overturn the Gunners’ first leg advantage.
Chelsea have previously been linked to other forwards in case of Kerr’s exit, with reports earlier in the year suggesting that they may make a move for Manchester City’s Bunny Shaw, who is out of contract at the end of the campaign.
Time To Move On
As much as Sam Kerr has been a star for Chelsea across her time as a Blue, it seems that her future at the club is not bright, with Sonia Bompastor turning to Agnes Beever-Jones to lead the line.
A move to Denver is likely the best for both parties, freeing up space for new faces to arrive in West London, while giving a new Denver franchise a big-name star to help them build a reputation in the American sports market.
It is set to be a summer of change for the Kingsmeadow-based side, with Catarina Macario also making the switch to the NWSL and the San Diego Wave, meaning that Chelsea will need to find at least two forwards to come in for the following WSL season with an expanded calendar.
While they may not have been able to get any transfer value out of a star asset like Kerr, her service for the club cannot be understated, helping them to six league titles, four FA Cups and four League Cups.
It is still unclear who Chelsea will target in the market, with their chances of signing Bunny Shaw low due to Manchester City’s success this season, meaning that other options are likely to be considered to fill the shoes of a two-time golden boot winner and challenge Beever-Jones and Mayra Ramirez for a place in the starting eleven.
