Malta forward Kailey Willis signs with Italy’s Meran Women

Scored 21 goals in 55 games in the last three years in Italian football

Maltese forward Kailey Willis will continue to play in Italy after joining AS Meran, the Times of Malta can reveal.

Meran Women, who will feature in Serie C – Girone B, will be Willis’ third Italian club after playing for Verona rivals – Hellas and Chievo between 2020 and 2023.

Willis, who joins on a one-year deal and will wear the number 10 shirt, is at the back of three solid seasons in Italian football with 21 goals in 55 games in both youth and senior level.

Last season at Chievo, Willis scored four goals in 28 Serie B appearances.

In her previous two seasons at Hellas, with whom she also made her Serie A debut in 2020/2021, she did not score at senior level but was one of their best performers in the U-19’s category.

In fact, she recorded 17 goals in 24 games in two seasons.

At international level, she has two goals in four appearances – both goals scored against Luxembourg during the February international window.

Meran, based in Sudtirol, battled Bologna for a Serie B promotion last season, but ultimately finished second with 70 points after 30 games.

They launched their pre-season commitments last Sunday when they faced Emma Lipman and Maya Cachia’s Como Women before meeting Milan and Willis’ previous club, Chievo in three high-profile friendlies.

The Serie C season is pencilled to start on September 10 while the Italian Cup for the third-tier teams will commence in December.