For those who don't watch Barcelona regularly but tuned in for the first leg of their Women's Champions League semi-final clash with Chelsea last weekend, it might've been a surprise to see Lucy Bronze on the bench. The England star has been one of the best full-backs on the planet for several years and has an incredible wealth of winning experience, including four European titles. But her place among the substitutes was a reminder that her future at Barca remains unclear.

Bronze is out of contract this summer and there is a genuine possibility that, as she bids to help the Catalans overturn a 1-0 deficit to reach another Champions League final, this season could be her last not just with Barca, but in Europe's premier competition. That’s because the 32-year-old doesn’t have much unfinished business on a continent that she has conquered four times at club level and once with the Lionesses. Indeed, the only club competition she’s played in and not yet won is the Copa de la Reina, which Barca will play the final of next month.

So, as Bronze enters the final weeks of her current deal, a new challenge could be on the horizon and there is one option in particular that, if she does leave Catalunya, feels particularly appealing...

To leave or not to leave

That uncertainty around the defender’s future is not because she hasn’t performed during her two seasons at Barca. It’s fair to say she started a little slowly, yes, but a return of one goal and eight assists this season has helped convince the club that she still has a role to play going forward.

Reports earlier in the season marked Bronze out as someone whose renewal was not a priority, especially considering the depth Barca has at right-back. Ona Batlle, the 24-year-old who is perhaps the best in the world in that position right now, arrived from Manchester United last summer, while the squad also features dependable veteran Marta Torrejon.

But ARA wrote last month that the club wants to offer Bronze a one-year extension with the possibility of another optional season, as long as she is willing to accept a small pay cut. The England star is one of the team’s highest-paid players and Barca have financial regulations to comply with while also sorting other renewals, most notably that of Alexia Putellas and also Aitana Bonmati and Keira Walsh, who are out of contract in a year's time.

At a crossroads

There is plenty to suggest that Bronze would like to stay in Catalunya, too. “I love playing for Barcelona,” she told Relevo earlier this season. “The club loves having me here and I love playing with the girls and the players we have. I don't know what I want to do in the future, but Barcelona is definitely a team I would love to stay with and I know the staff would also love for me to stay. So, we'll see.”

Perhaps the biggest thing the full-back will be considering is her game time. She has started 29 of Barca’s 39 games so far this season, though part of the reason has been an injury to Fridolina Rolfo. The Swede’s absence has moved Batlle to left-back for most of the campaign, with Bronze regularly getting the nod on the right as a result.

However, as the first leg of Barca’s semi-final with Chelsea showed, when everyone is fit, the club’s best XI is probably one with Batlle and Rolfo on either side of the defence. To stay with one of the best teams in Europe has huge appeal, of course, even if it is not as a key starter, but given how driven Bronze is as an individual, it would be understandable if she was to look elsewhere for a more significant role and a new challenge.

Something different

What could that new challenge be? As well as Spain, Bronze has already conquered France, winning three league titles, two French cups, the French Super Cup and three Champions League titles during her trio of seasons with Lyon.

In Europe, Germany and Italy have the two other really big leagues that Bronze is yet to get a taste of, with the former more probable given how much closer the top teams in the Frauen-Bundesliga are to competing for a European title.

What about a return to England? Bronze might have won the Women’s Super League, the FA Cup and the Continental Cup multiple times over during her time with Liverpool and then Manchester City, but there is one thing she never accomplished in her home country and that is winning the Champions League with an English club.

Another homecoming?

When Bronze returned to City for a second spell back in 2020, ticking that box was the aim. “I have had that success in terms of winning the Champions League as an individual in a team abroad, but I want to bring that success back to England, back to City,” she said.

But it didn’t quite work out. Despite being one of few teams to beat Barca over 90 minutes during their quarter-final clash in the 2020-21 campaign, City lost 4-2 on aggregate. The following season, they didn't even get past the second qualifying round, losing to Real Madrid.

Would Bronze be tempted to try again? “Never say never,” was her response earlier this season when FourFourTwo asked if she could come back to England in the near future. “I’m someone who is open to opportunities – my career has shown that. I like different challenges in different places. Although my family live back in England, I have my home wherever I am in the world and I do absolutely love playing for Barcelona.

"I don’t know what the future holds – whether I stay here, return to England one day or join another club in another country and try to achieve the same sort of success. I’m always looking to challenge myself.”

Something completely new

The other opportunity that feels really relevant, perhaps more so than any other, is a move across the pond to the United States and the NWSL. After all, Bronze has pretty much done it all in Europe and, at 32, she is entering her twilight years. There might not be many more chances to get over to the U.S. and experience something genuinely different.

ARA reports that the defender has proposals from NWSL clubs and Bronze has admitted that those were there back in 2022 when she joined Barca, too. “It’s a different kind of league to what we have in Europe,” she told ESPN. “It did cross my mind.”

Potentially perfect match

There is maybe no more exciting time to take those offers up either. The NWSL has made some really significant transfer moves in recent months to reassert itself as one of the best in the world, and the instantly-competitive expansion sides speak to the growth in investment and there are new competitions springing up to make playing in the U.S. even more attractive.

The style of the NWSL has always felt like a good fit for Bronze, too. Her physicality is a real strength and her qualities suit its transitional game, though that is not to play down her technical abilities. That was all apparent during her college days, too, when she thrived for the North Carolina Tar Heels. To return to the U.S. some 15 years later would, in a way, be a full circle moment.

England the end goal

At the heart of her decision, though, will be England. Bronze has always expressed how much she loves playing for her country, and to remain a key player for the Lionesses will be the end goal.

The seventh most-capped player in team history, when asked by FourFourTwo if she could go to top that list by the end of her career, Bronze replied: “We’ll see – it depends how long my knee will hold out. It would be unbelievable to play that many times, but I’m happy with what I’ve achieved already and I just want to keep playing for England as long as possible – as long as I can stay at the top level, compete and try to win more trophies.”

Alongside the Copa de la Reina, the only other competition the defender has played in and not won is the World Cup, a tournament she was a runner-up at with England last year. She’ll be 35 years old when the next one comes around in 2027, but even if she doesn’t start every game, her character and experience could help her remain an important part of Sarina Wiegman’s squad.

On the one hand, playing regularly at the highest level will give her a great chance at still being involved in three years’ time, but on the other, maybe a reduced role at Barca could help to prolong her career at the very top, baring in mind that knee she mentions. These are the elements that, once another season with one of the best teams in the world is done, Bronze will be weighing up as she ponders the next chapter of a remarkable career.