Sam Kerr has signed a contract extension at Chelsea with the new deal keeping her at the club until 2026. The Australia forward’s contract was running out this summer and there had been speculation that she would leave west London after four-and-a-half years. The news will be a significant boost to the new manager, Sonia Bompastor, who is replacing Emma Hayes this summer. There had been fears that there would be an exodus of players after the departure of the popular Hayes, who has taken over as USA national team coach, but the only players who have left are Fran Kirby, Maren Mjelde and Ann-Katrin Berger. Kerr said: “It’s really exciting and a very proud moment for me. Having the opportunity to stay at a club like Chelsea means a lot to me. I’m really excited to continue to push and to try to win trophies.” The 30-year-old is recovering from an ACL injury sustained in January at Chelsea’s warm-weather training camp in Morocco. It ruled her out for the rest of the domestic season as well as the Paris Olympics. The Chelsea women general manager, Paul Green, said: ‘We are delighted that Sam has extended her deal with the club. Sam is a leader and one of the world’s best strikers and goalscorers. She has been very important to our success, and we look forward to welcoming her back from injury next season.” Kerr has won 10 trophies since signing for the club, securing the league five times, the FA Cup three times and the League Cup twice. The forward has also won the Golden Boot twice, was runner-up to Spain’s Aitana Bonmatí at the Ballon d’Or awards last year and finished third on the Guardian’s list of the top 100 female footballers in 2021 and 2022. The 30-year-old is facing charges of intentionally causing “racially aggravated harassment, alarm or distress to a police officer” after a night out with teammates in London in January 2023. She denies the charges. A preliminary hearing on the case was due to be held in March but it was cancelled and the trial is now scheduled to last four days in February 2025.