NEW YORK — National Women’s Soccer League commissioner Jessica Berman said she plans to continue in her role, but she did not offer a tangible update on the potential renewal of her contract, which ends in the coming months.

“What I can say is that I intend to be here,” Berman told reporters from the league’s headquarters on Thursday. “I joined this league because I believe in the future of women’s sports and professional women’s soccer, and that’s all I can say.”

Berman signed a four-year contract to become commissioner of the league in early 2022.

– NWSL to introduce combines in lieu of draft
– NWSL MVP Tracker 4.0: Chawinga, Esther fighting for the crown
– Reign-Racing game halted after DeMelo collapses

She addressed reporters on Thursday following two days of in-person meetings in New York among the league’s board of governors. Among the board’s most important topics in recent months has been Berman’s future and the potential renewal of her contract.

The NWSL board meetings in New York happened in the weeks after the league lost one of its most high-profile players, 20-year-old United States forward Alyssa Thompson, to Chelsea in a transfer on England’s deadline day. The move sparked further debate across the league about the NWSL’s ability to compete in a global market while maintaining a salary cap, which is currently set at $3.5 million per team.

“While I could understand the focus on the salary cap, the way that players make decisions about where to play is a complex set of considerations, and we will always look at that not in a myopic way, but holistically,” Berman said.

“We are quite confident that the value proposition that we offer to players is compelling and we’ll continue to attract and retain the best players.”

Player safety was a major topic of concern once again in Berman’s press briefing following several high-profile incidents at games this season.

The NWSL had its second major medical emergency of the season occur on Sunday when Racing Louisville FC midfielder Savannah DeMelo collapsed on the field at the halftime whistle in a game against Seattle Reign FC.

The match was suspended and completed two days later — in stark contrast to May, when Angel City FC defender Savy King was treated on the field for over 10 minutes for what turned out to be a heart abnormality. That game resumed after King was taken to the hospital in an ambulance and players were visibly upset.

Berman said on Thursday that the decision to suspend Sunday’s game was ultimately hers, and any similar situation is ultimately her call, but there are others in a “decision tree” empowered to make the call in her absence.

“Just to state the obvious, the decision to not continue the game was a no-brainer and did not require contemplation,” Berman said. “We at least now know how to manage those situations and are confident that hopefully we will never have to do them again.”

On Thursday, Berman also announced that the process to expand beyond 16 teams is now open, but she defined it as a “rolling process” rather than a bid with deadlines, as was the case in recent years.

“We’ve made the decision to shift to a rolling process mostly because we’ve been through this, two rounds, and so, we pretty much know the universe of who’s interested. There’s more than a dozen of them.

“Those conversations are ongoing. Each of them has a different perspective on how much time they need to launch, the investments they need to make to be successful, including potentially around infrastructure, and we want to not force a square peg into a round hole.”

The NWSL will expand to 16 teams next year with the introduction of Boston Legacy FC and Denver Summit FC. Berman has said several times that there is “no reason” the NWSL cannot be as big as the 32-team NFL, although on Thursday she appeared to walk back the number of teams as more of an idea than a target or hard cap.

Berman also confirmed that the second division that the NWSL plans to operate will not launch next year, which the league initially indicated as a timeline. The league is now focused on launching a second division in 2027, she said.

Barcelona‘s Alexia Putellas has turned down a big-money offer to join Paris Saint-Germain ahead of the closing of the transfer window this week, sources have told ESPN.

The French club approached the Spain midfielder and were prepared to hand her a multi-year contract in addition to a significant pay rise as they attempt to end OL Lyonnes‘ dominance in the Première Ligue.

A source told ESPN that Barça made it clear they were not open to offers for Putellas, but PSG were willing to execute her €1 million ($1.2m) release clause, which would have left the Catalan side powerless.

However, Putellas, a two-time Ballon d’Or winner, has pledged her commitment to Barça, where she has made over 450 appearances since re-joining from Levante in 2012.

The 31-year-old’s contract with Barça expires next summer, although there is an option for it to be extended until 2027.

With the season already underway, Putellas’s exit would have been a hammer blow to a Barça squad which has already been hugely reduced in size this summer, with just 18 players registered with the first team.

Fridolina Rolfö, Ingrid Engen, Jana Fernández, Ellie Roebuck, Bruna Vilamala, Martina Fernández and Lucía Corrales are among those who have departed, while only Laia Aleixandri has arrived.

The decision to let so many players leave is part of wider cost-cutting measures across the club’s various sporting teams, as well as a desire to use the budget available to renew the contracts of players whose contracts are expiring.

As well as Putellas, Marta Torrejón, Mapi León, Salma Paralluelo, Clàudia Pina, Caroline Graham Hansen, Cata Coll and Ona Batlle‘s terms are all up in 2026.

Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo is a transfer target for crosstown rivals Manchester City, while Juventus have joined the race to sign City star Bernardo Silva. Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe.

Transfers homepage | Done deals | Men’s grades | Women’s grades

TOP STORIES

– Sources: Messi, Miami near multiyear extension
– Mourinho confirms Benfica contact, open to return
– Man Utd reveal record revenue amid on-field woes

TRENDING RUMORS

– Manchester City are considering a shock move for Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, according to TEAMtalk. The report adds that the 20-year-old is also on the radar of Chelsea and Newcastle United. Mainoo wanted to leave Old Trafford on loan in January due to his frustration over a lack of game time under Ruben Amorim, but the Red Devils were unwilling to let that happen. TEAMtalk reports that England international Mainoo, who has another two years to run on his existing contract at Old Trafford, could be worth as much as £70 million on the transfer market.

– Juventus general manager Damien Comolli will look to see if a move for Bernardo Silva is possible when the midfielder’s Manchester City contract expires in the summer, Tuttosport reports. The Bianconeri have taken inspiration from AC Milan and Napoli‘s moves for Luka Modric and Kevin De Bruyne respectively. They expect competition for the 31-year-old from clubs in Europe (including his former club Benfica), the United States and the United Arab Emirates and hope the Portugal international will maintain his desire to play at the top level.

– Alexia Putellas has decided to stay at Barcelona for at least one more season after receiving a “tempting and powerful” offer from Paris Saint-Germain, reports Mundo Deportivo. As part of this decision, the midfielder has an agreement with Barça to allow for her amicable departure in the summer if she wants to leave the club, although she could just as easily extend her contract. This comes with the Liga F club telling PSG they would have to pay the 31-year-old’s release clause for her to leave in the final days of this window. Meanwhile, another Mundo Deportivo report claims that PSG remain fixated on Putellas and could pay her €1 million release clause.

– Following La Gazzetta dello Sport’s report on Real Madrid‘s plan to re-sign attacking midfielder Nico Paz from Como, the Italian outlet has given an insight into the clauses that could allow the move to happen. The option to bring back the 21-year-old for €9 million has already passed, but they could sign him for €10 million in 2026 or €11 million in 2027, while Los Blancos would also earn half of the fee from a transfer to another club and have the opportunity to match any offers received by Como.

EXPERT TAKE

play

The latest surrounding Manchester United

Rob Dawson breaks down the latest news on Manchester United.

OTHER RUMORS

– Chelsea have joined the likes of Liverpool, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich in showing an interest in signing Crystal Palace center back Marc Guéhi when his contract expires in the summer. (Football Insider)

– Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is looking at the possibility of being reunited with Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling, with the Scottish giants willing to pay £50,000 of the £300,000 he earns a week if a loan can be agreed. (Football Transfers)

– Brentford could offer Kevin Schade an improved contract as they anticipate interest from bigger Premier League clubs, having lost Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa to Manchester United and Newcastle United, respectively, during the summer. (TEAMtalk)

– Free agent winger Yann Karamoh is expected to sign for FC Porto on Thursday once he has completed his medical. (Nicolò Schira)

– Sassuolo, Torino and Lecce are regularly tracking the progress of midfielder Giuliano Galoppo, who is on loan at River Plate from São Paulo. (Ekrem Konur)

– Boca Juniors midfielder Kevin Zenón is among the players being closely monitored by Sporting CP and FC Porto with European interest in the 24-year-old growing. (Ekrem Konur)

– Scouts from several European clubs attended River Plate’s Copa Libertadores clash with Palmeiras on Wednesday to watch midfielder Kevin Castaño, who could be the subject of offers worth up to $20m. (Ekrem Konur)