Liverpool confirm four summer departures with defender set to make shock exit

Liverpool Women have confirmed that four first-team stars are set to leave the club this summer following the expiration of their contracts.

Right-back Emma Koivisto, midfielder Miri Taylor and forwards Melissa Lawley and Shanice van de Sanden will all depart at the end of the season as manager Matt Beard continues to finetune his squad. The quartet are set to embark on new chapters in their careers having helped the Reds take another step forward in the Women’s Super League (WSL) this term, with just a point required against 10th-place Leicester City on Saturday afternoon to secure fourth place.

Koivisto's exit perhaps comes as the biggest surprise, with the Finland international having been close to an ever-present for Liverpool since joining from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2022. She departs having made 50 appearances in all competitions during which she registered four goals for the Reds.

Jurgen Klopp take on FSG strategy and private arguments in candid interview before Liverpool exit

Jamie Carragher highlights Jurgen Klopp issue in Man City 115 charges ahead of Liverpool farewell

Lawley, meanwhile, joined Liverpool from Manchester City five years ago and has featured more than 100 times, helping Beard's side win promotion from the Championship in 2021/22. Fellow attacker Van de Sanden began a second spell with Liverpool in the summer of 2022 and the forward has gone on play 29 times over the past two seasons as the Reds re-established themselves in the top flight.

Taylor arrived on Merseyside from the USA in January 2023 and made 15 appearances before spending the second half of this campaign on loan at Aston Villa, with her highlight undoubtedly the winning goal against Arsenal in front of more than 54,000 at the