Man Utd confirm departure of Lionesses striker as Arsenal move looms

The 24-year-old striker will depart the club at the end of her contract and has been heavily linked with Women’s Super League rivals Arsenal and NWSL outfit Washington Spirit

A statement on the club website said: “Manchester United can confirm that Alessia Russo will leave the football club on completion of her contract at the end of June.

“The England international joined United in the summer of 2020 and made her competitive debut in our 5-2 Women’s Super League win at Birmingham City in September of that same season.

“Alessia scored her first goal in our 3-0 league win over Brighton and Hove Albion at Leigh Sports Village in October 2020. Alessia went on to make 59 appearances in all competitions as a Red, scoring 26 goals in the process.

“Her time at the club culminated in a record-breaking 2022/23 season for United Women, with the team finishing second in the WSL, securing Champions League qualification for the first time, as well as making it to our maiden Women’s FA Cup Final.

“Everyone at the football club would like to thank Alessia for her service and wish her luck for the future.”

Russo first joined the club in September 2020, signing a two-year contract with the option for a third year and has gone on to become one of the WSL’s finest strikers whilst becoming pivotal to Sarina Wiegman’s England side. She played a vital role in the country’s Euro 2022 success last summer and scored four goals during the tournament.

She was joint top scorer for Manchester United’s as the club secured Champions League qualification for the first time last summer but doubts over her future at the club remained despite the club rejected a record £500,000 bid from Arsenal in the January transfer window.

In February, United boss Marc Skinner has spoken of his desire to keep Russo at the club, saying: “We are working behind the scenes for Alessia to stay anyway. She’s part of our future and part of what we see when we’re winning silverware. We see her in there”. It is our understand that Manchester United had agreed to meet her salary but that it was not enough to keep Russo at the club.

The Lionesses star is now strongly expected to join WSL rivals Arsenal, with the club confident they have done enough to get the signature over the line. Tellingly, their number 23 shirt has also been made available for the coming season - Russo’s prefered squad number, though they do face stiff competition from club’s in the NWSL.

In a brief post on Russo’s official Twitter account, she wrote “It’s been the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make” alongside a highlights video of her time with the club.