Newcastle Target Leanne Kiernan from Liverpool for Key Signing

Newcastle United are closing in on a headline attacking signing, with talks at an advanced stage to bring Republic of Ireland forward Leanne Kiernan in from Liverpool.

The 27-year-old still has more than a year left on her Liverpool deal, so any agreement will require a fee – a clear sign of intent from a second-tier club determined to force its way into the elite.

Kiernan has been a Liverpool player for five years, signing an extension in 2025 and helping to drag the club back into the top flight. Her numbers tell a solid story: 23 goals in 76 appearances, and the cutting edge that powered Liverpool’s WSL 2 title win in 2022, when she finished as the club’s top scorer with 14 league goals.

That campaign felt like a breakthrough. She led the line, stretched defences, and gave Liverpool the direct, aggressive outlet they had been missing. For a club chasing promotion, that profile is gold dust.

But the last year has told a different tale. Kiernan has struggled for minutes under Liverpool boss Gareth Taylor, starting just once in the WSL before heading out on loan to Nottingham Forest in January for the second half of last season. While that move kept her sharp, it underlined how far she had slipped down the pecking order.

The competition has only intensified. Liverpool have strengthened again in attack this summer with the arrival of Germany forward Vivien Endemann from Wolfsburg, another obstacle between Kiernan and regular football.

So the timing of Newcastle’s move makes sense.

This is a club building with purpose. Six new signings have already come through the door in a busy window as Newcastle gear up to challenge for the WSL 2 title. Kiernan would not just pad out the squad; she would change the feel of the forward line, adding proven movement, work-rate, and a history of delivering in promotion fights.

Her CV carries weight. Before Liverpool, she made more than 40 appearances for West Ham in the WSL after breaking through at Shelbourne, learning the league’s physical and tactical demands early. On the international stage, she has 38 caps for the Republic of Ireland since her debut in 2017, experience that rarely comes cheap in the second tier.

For Newcastle, that blend of club and international pedigree is exactly what a promotion contender craves: a forward who has felt pressure, handled expectation, and still has prime years ahead.

For Kiernan, it is about minutes and responsibility. At Liverpool, she has slipped into the shadows. At Newcastle, she would walk into a project that needs a focal point and a finisher with a track record of deciding seasons.

If the deal gets done, it will say plenty about where Newcastle are heading – and just as much about what Kiernan still believes she can be.