Barcelona, Chelsea, Lyon, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are among the top European clubs who could lose star players for free this summer

This summer is a big one for women's football. Between the European Championships in Switzerland, the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco and Copa America in Ecuador, there's plenty of action taking place over the next few months – and it all comes in the middle of what looks set to be a blockbuster transfer window.

There have already been some big moves. Germany international Jule Brand has swapped Wolfsburg, the two-time European champions, for Lyon, the eight-time winners, with the Lower Saxony club also bidding farewell to another lively winger in Sveindis Jonsdottir, who has signed for Angel City in the NWSL. Other clubs, meanwhile, will be glad to have tied down some of their stars in recent months to avoid their exits, such as Bayern Munich with Klara Buhl, Manchester United with Jayde Riviere and Chelsea with both Millie Bright and Erin Cuthbert.

But there is still a lot of top talent in the women's game available for free in this summer's transfer window. Who are the best of those looking for a new club? GOAL picks out 10 big names either already confirmed to be on the move or potentially set for switches…

Getty ImagesMarie-Antoinette Katoto

After a 14-year association with Paris Saint-Germain, Marie-Antoinette Katoto will leave the club this summer. Part of the academy set-up from the age of 12, she has become one of the best strikers on the planet in her 10 years with the first-team and is the women's team's all-time top-scorer. But this season has been marred by a tense relationship with head coach Fabrice Abriel, who left the club after a shock French Cup final defeat to Paris FC last month.

Despite that change in the dugout, Katoto's decision to leave hasn't altered, with her making a decision that was long rumoured official last month. There were initially suggestions that the 26-year-old would take up an opportunity abroad, but all signs now point to her joining Lyon, PSG's biggest rival – a path so many have walked over the years as the Parisians continue to underwhelm in the women's game.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportChloe Kelly

What a turnaround this season has been for Chloe Kelly. Completely out-of-favour at Manchester City under Gareth Taylor, the England international completed a loan switch to former club Arsenal on an eventful January deadline day and would go on to play a key role as the Gunners won the Champions League. Understandably, then, fans of the European champions would love to see her stay in north London.

"Look, if it's my last game for the club, I'll forever be grateful," Kelly said after the final win over Barcelona. "I know I've given my all to Arsenal Football Club and Arsenal Football Club have given their all to me. They gave me an opportunity to step foot on the pitch and find happiness. It's not about football at times. No matter what happened today, the club gave me happiness."

Some City fans will hope Taylor's departure in March could pave the way for Kelly to stay in the north west, but her claims on deadline day that the club was trying to "assassinate my character" and "tried to plant negative stories about me" means it would feel surprising if she didn't move on. There will surely be clubs beyond Arsenal interested in her signature, too, given the quality she's shown since the move.

Getty ImagesLizbeth Ovalle

One of the most exciting and talked about prospects outside of the top European leagues and the U.S. at the moment is Lizbeth Ovalle. According to a report by in Mexico at the end of last year, the following clubs were all interested in the 25-year-old: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Wolfsburg, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United.

The report said that all seven would prefer to sign her for no cost when her contract expires this summer, but her current club, Tigres, was either aiming to renew Ovalle’s deal or sell her for $100,000 (£80,000) in the winter. If it was the latter, Barca, City and United had all ‘communicated their intention to buy’.

However, while a sale didn't happen, some media outlets have since suggested that Ovalle's contract will expire in December rather than the previously reported June. It's unclear if that is the case, or if it remains that she will be a free agent in the coming weeks. Either way, she is sure to be a figure of interest throughout this summer, with in Mexico understanding that the forward already has an offer on the table from the Washington Spirit.

Getty ImagesLaia Aleixandri

There are a few players this summer who are out of contract but whom don't appear set for transfer sagas, simply because their next destinations are being so widely reported. Laia Aleixandri is one of those.

After bidding farewell to Man City at the end of the season, it appears that she is set for a Barcelona return, eight years after departing for Atletico Madrid. That has been widely reported in the Spanish and Catalan press, with journalist Rut Vilar understanding that Aleixandri has signed a four-year deal.

After spending five years with Barca as a teenager, albeit without being able to progress beyond the B team, before leaving for the Spanish capital, it will be an emotional return for the 24-year-old, who has carved out a fantastic career elsewhere to date. It's also an important signing for Barca, given the uncertainty at centre-back. Both Irene Paredes and Ingrid Engen are out of contract this summer, after all, while it was recently reported on , on Catalunya Radio, that the club is willing to listen to offers for star defender Mapi Leon, if indeed she wishes to leave.