Hannah Hampton is leaving Aston Villa over alleged Chelsea links

HANNAH HAMPTON is set to leave Aston Villa this month as talks are reportedly being held with WSL champions Chelsea.

The 22-year-old England goalkeeper is said to have turned down an offer from the Villans for a contract extension, according to BBC Sport.

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The player, who made 43 appearances in all competitions last season,’s current Villa contract expires at the end of this month.

She kept five clean sheets in 15 WSL games and helped the team finish fifth, their highest-ever finish in the Women’s Super League.

In a brief statement published on the club’s website, she “sincerely thanked” the goalkeeper and wished her “all the best in her next chapter”.

The Birmingham-born WSL star is among players included in Sarina Wiegman’s 23-man squad for this summer’s World Cup.

Her form in the second half of last season saw her recalled by the Lionesses in March after being dropped from Wiegman’s previous three rosters.

Upon her return, the England manager said Hampton “had to sort out some personal issues before praising her ‘consistency’ for Villa.

Hampton began her football career in 2005 as a striker for Spanish club Villarreal’s academy team.

She made the transition to goalkeeping during her six years at Stoke City from 2010.

This was followed by a five-year stint with Birmingham, where she made her senior international debut in November 2017

And she went to Villa under head coach Carla Ward.

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Last summer, Hampton was part of the England squad that lifted their first women’s European Cup under Wiegman.

She also helped the side win the inaugural Arnold Clark Cup competition last February and kept a clean sheet in England’s 0-0 draw with Spain.

And this year, for the first time in her career, she will be part of a senior Lioness World Cup roster.