Man Utd and Man City Set to Complete Shock Swap Deal as Fans Furious
Manchester United and Manchester City are set to complete a shock swap deal on WSL deadline day that has left fans of one side in particular furious.
Unlike with the Premier League's deadline of Monday, the Women's Super League window remains open until 11pm on Thursday.
It is always a busy day for the 12 WSL clubs as they look to finalise their squads ahead of the new season, which gets underway this weekend.
It has already been one of the biggest windows in women's football history, with Canada international forward Olivia Smith becoming the first million-pound player when she signed for Arsenal from Liverpool.
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England's Euro 2025 hero Chloe Kelly has also joined Arsenal after her Manchester City contract expired, while reigning champions Chelsea have signed right-back Ellie Carpenter from Lyon.
But it is United and City that are set to take centre stage on deadline day - and in a big way.
United have accepted a bid from City for star midfielder Grace Clinton, who is in the final year of her contract, according to The Guardian.
In turn, City midfielder Jess Park will move the other way in a swap deal, though for a lower fee than what the blue side of Manchester will pay to sign Clinton.
Both players were part of England's Euro 2025 squad this summer, with Clinton featuring in five of the six matches as a substitute.
The 22-year-old joined United from Everton in 2022 and scored eight times in 20 appearances last season.
United have lost Alessia Russo, Ona Batlle and Mary Earps on free transfers in recent seasons in moves that have infuriated the club's fanbase, and while they are at least getting an talented England international midfielder in return this time around, fans are still not happy that the club is unable to convince its top stars to stay.
One fan wrote: "Losing Grace Clinton would be a disaster! She should be the player this team is built around!!!!"
A second added: "Stunned that Man Utd have allowed Grace Clinton to go to Man City. One of the most promising talents in the country. Ridiculous."
And a third asked: "Why are we not giving players lengthy contracts, or is the ladies' team not part of the INEOS plan?"
Former City captain Steph Houghton, meanwhile, told BBC Radio 5 Live: "That deal has massively surprised me.
"I look at Jess Park as a Manchester City player who's been there for eight years ... I want to keep the players that we've had since they've been 15, 16 years old.
"But if she needs to go and play, and vice versa with Grace - with England, there's so much emphasis on playing games with Sarina [Wiegman] in that England squad. Definitely different profiles, but very influential in different ways."
Topics: Manchester City, Manchester United, Womens Football, Womens Super League, Football
Ryan Smart