Russo on verge of Arsenal move as Man Utd exit announced

Alessia Russo will leave Manchester United at the expiry of her contract this summer, with Arsenal on the verge of signing the England forward on a free transfer.

Russo has been at United for the last three years and has scored 27 goals in 59 games, but last season's WSL runners-up have been unable to convince the 24-year-old to stay.

Sky Sports News understands United and Russo have been discussing terms over a new deal for the last 18 months but United only reached the forward's contract expectations on the last week of the season, at which point it was too late to entice her to stay.

United's delay came despite Marc Skinner's side receiving two world-record bids from WSL rivals Arsenal for Russo in January.

The forward is one of the top free agents in football this summer and her signing would send a telling message of intent to the rest of the game.

Sources claim a number of clubs around the world, including in the USA, France, Spain and the UK, want to sign Russo this summer, but Arsenal have positioned themselves as frontrunners following their interest earlier this year.

However, Russo's sole focus at the moment is England's World Cup campaign in Australia and New Zealand, which begins next month