Everton Women are keen to sign Ruby Mace despite having a rejected bid from Leicester City earlier this month.
The Athletic have reported that the Foxes turned down a bid of £100,000 earlier this month.
Leicester face a fight to keep hold of the England international, who has just one year left on her contract.
Mace was left out of the Everton squad on Thursday, as they played a behind-closed-doors friendly with Sunderland.
Everton have made eight signings this summer, but head coach Brian Sorensen does not want to stop there.
Who is Ruby Mace?
Ruby Mace is regarded as one of the most talented young players in English football, making it no surprise that she has interest from Everton.
At Leicester, she has often operated as a No.6, but can drop into defence and play as a centre-back.
Mace was an academy prospect at Arsenal, who made her senior debut during an FA Cup quarter-final against Tottenham in September 2020.
Following a loan spell to Birmingham City, she was signed by Manchester City in 2021.
Excl: Everton Women pursuing Leicester City + England defender Ruby Mace.
Leicester rejected bid of £100k earlier this month.
Mace didn't play in 1-1 friendly draw v Sunderland yesterday. Everton long-time admirers.@TheAthleticFChttps://t.co/HAysbm1fKY
— Megan Feringa (@megan_feringa) August 22, 2025
However, just like at Arsenal, first-team football was a bit too soon for her, during her time in Manchester.
After a loan spell with Leicester, she joined the Foxes on a permanent deal in 2024.
The 21-year-old is a player that could be seen more in England squads in the build-up to the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
She made her Lionesses debut back in December against Switzerland.
Who have Everton signed this summer?
Everton have signed eight players this summer, including defender Maz Pacheco and Katie Robinson from Aston Villa.
They also signed Martina Fernandez, who spent the second-half of last season on loan Everton.
Here is the full list of transfers Everton have made this summer.
- Martina Fernandez – Barcelona
- Rion Ishikawa – Urawa Red Diamonds
- Hikaru Kitigawa – BK Hacken
- Yuka Momiki – Leicester City
- Maz Pacheco – Aston Villa
- Katie Robinson – Aston Villa (loan)
- Rosa van Gool – Ajax
- Ornella Vignola – Granada
When does the 2025-26 WSL season start for Everton?
Should Ruby Mace join Everton, her first WSL game could be in the Merseyside Derby against Liverpool on Sunday, September 7th.
Leicester, meanwhile, have a difficult trip to Manchester United on the same day.
The season officially gets underway on Friday, September 5th, when champions Chelsea face Manchester City.
Everton have also had a busy season away from the pitch, after selling their women’s team to parent company Roundhouse Capital Holdings.
