Newcastle United Target Liverpool's Leanne Kiernan
Newcastle United are pushing hard to land Republic of Ireland forward Leanne Kiernan from Liverpool, with talks understood to be at an advanced stage for one of the Championship’s most eye-catching moves of the summer.
Kiernan, 27, still has more than a year left on her Liverpool deal, so any agreement will require a fee. For a second-tier side, that is a statement in itself. Newcastle are not just building a squad to compete; they are trying to build one to win.
From Liverpool spearhead to fringe figure
Kiernan arrived at Liverpool five years ago and signed an extension in 2025, growing into a central figure in their rise. Her numbers tell part of the story: 23 goals in 76 appearances for the Reds, including a blistering 14-goal haul in the 2021-22 campaign that fired Liverpool to the WSL 2 title and took her to the top of the club’s scoring charts that season.
That year, she was the cutting edge of a promotion-winning machine. Direct, relentless, ruthless in front of goal.
The picture has shifted since. This past season, under Liverpool boss Gareth Taylor, Kiernan struggled for minutes, starting just once in the WSL before heading out on loan to Nottingham Forest in January. While the loan gave her the regular football she craved, it also underlined how far she had slipped down the pecking order at Anfield.
Liverpool’s summer business has only sharpened that reality. The arrival of Germany forward Vivien Endemann from Wolfsburg adds fresh competition to an already crowded front line. For Kiernan, a new challenge now looks less like an option and more like a necessity.
Proven pedigree, fresh platform
Newcastle see opportunity where Liverpool see surplus.
Kiernan is no gamble. Before Liverpool, she cut her teeth at Shelbourne, then made over 40 appearances for West Ham in the WSL, learning the league’s physical and tactical demands as a young forward. On the international stage, she has 38 caps for the Republic of Ireland since her debut in 2017, experience that carries weight in any dressing room.
For a club with Newcastle’s ambition, that profile is gold. They are not just signing goals; they are signing someone who has lived promotion races, title pushes and the pressure of international football.
Newcastle have already been busy, with six signings through the door as they gear up for a serious tilt at the WSL 2 title. Kiernan would add something they still crave: a proven finisher who can stretch defences, lead the press and turn tight games with a single run in behind.
The move makes sense for all sides. Liverpool trim a crowded attack and bank a fee. Newcastle gain a forward entering her prime. Kiernan gets the one thing every striker needs above all else: a starting shirt and a clear role.
If the deal gets done, the Championship will have to deal with a forward who has already dragged one club out of that division. The question now is simple: will she do it again, this time in black and white?
