Slow progress in contract negotiations led to Alessia Russo leaving Manchester United on a free transfer, according to BBC journalist Emma Sanders.

It has been confirmed that the England international will leave the Red Devils when her current deal expires at the end of the month and Saunders claims United are at fault for not getting her future resolved at an earlier date:

Alessia Russo’s departure from Man Utd wasn’t about money. It was disappointment in what they perceived to be slow progress in negotiations. It isn’t something that came up overnight, it went on for 18 months. There will be an urge for Utd to act faster to prevent losing others.

— Emma Sanders (@em_sandy) June 16, 2023

Whether that is the full picture, though, it is up for debate. Arsenal have been pursuing Russo for a while, having had a world record bid of £500,000 rejected in January, and there has been a feeling for quite some time that she would join the Gunners at the end of the season.

Russo does have other potential suitors

While Arsenal are red hot favourites to snap up Russo, the forward does have plenty of other options on the table.

French champions Lyon are known to be interested, while Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid have also been mentioned as possible suitors.

A return to the USA, where Russo played in college for a number of years, has also been suggested as a possibility. Washington Spirit had been linked with the 24-year-old in the American media. However, a move back stateside has been played down by Casey Stoney.  Now in charge of San Diego Wave, the former United head coach has categorically said that “she is not coming” to the NWSL.

With reliable reports indicating that a transfer to the Gunners is likely, fans should probably expect an announcement in the coming days.