Newcastle United Target Leanne Kiernan from Liverpool
Newcastle United are closing on a statement signing, with talks at an advanced stage to bring Republic of Ireland forward Leanne Kiernan in from Liverpool.
The 27-year-old, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Nottingham Forest, still has more than a year left on her Liverpool deal. Any agreement will therefore require a fee, a clear sign of intent from a second-tier club determined to muscle its way into the Women’s Super League conversation.
Kiernan has been a Liverpool player for five years, signing an extension in 2025, and her numbers tell the story of a forward who delivers when trusted. She has scored 23 goals in 76 appearances for the Reds, and her standout campaign came in 2021-22, when she powered Liverpool to the WSL 2 title and finished as the club’s top scorer with 14 goals. That season underlined her value as a striker who thrives in high-pressure promotion races – exactly the situation Newcastle now want to create.
Her route to Merseyside ran through the WSL already. Before Liverpool, Kiernan made more than 40 appearances for West Ham, having first emerged at Shelbourne, where her pace and direct running marked her out as one of Ireland’s brightest young forwards. On the international stage she has become a regular presence, winning 38 caps for the Republic of Ireland since her debut in 2017.
Yet while her pedigree is not in doubt, her minutes at Liverpool have been. Under Gareth Taylor she has struggled to carve out a consistent role, starting just once in the WSL last season before heading to Forest on loan in January. That lack of game time has coincided with fresh competition in Liverpool’s attack, sharpened again this summer by the arrival of Germany forward Vivien Endemann from Wolfsburg.
The squeeze has opened a door. Newcastle are ready to walk through it.
The Tyneside club have already been one of the most active sides in the market, with six signings through the door as they gear up for a serious tilt at the WSL 2 title. Kiernan would add proven end product to that recruitment drive – a forward with promotion experience, international know-how and the hunger of a player who has spent too long on the periphery.
For Newcastle, it is about more than depth. It is about building an attack capable of dragging the club into the top flight. For Kiernan, it could be the chance to swap frustration on the bench for centre stage in a promotion chase.
If the deal gets over the line, both parties know exactly what is at stake: a club on the rise, and a striker looking to rise with it.
