Alexia Putellas has agreed personal terms with London City Lionesses, the club announced – a signing that could reshape the Women’s Super League.
The 32-year-old Spanish great, twice a Ballon d’Or winner, left Barcelona last month after 14 years. During her time at the club she won 10 Liga F titles, four Champions League titles and the World Cup with Spain in 2023. Widely regarded as one of the best players in the world, Putellas would be one of the biggest signings in WSL history.
“Alexia Putellas agrees personal terms with London City Lionesses in one of the biggest WSL signings ever.”
Putellas has been enthused by the ambition of London City, an independently run club with only one season in the English top flight. The side, coached by Spaniard Eder Maestre, finished sixth in their debut WSL season. Under the ownership of American businesswoman Michele Kang, the club has made no secret of its grand ambitions. In September, London City received approval to build a new performance campus on 28 acres at Cobdown Park.
According to multiple sources, Putellas has agreed a contract with London City. She is also close to being joined by Mary Earps and her Barcelona teammate Mapi León, with free-transfer agreements reached for both. It is known that Putellas did not want to join a team that were, or could be, direct rivals to Barcelona.
Putellas’s arrival comes as women’s football in England enjoys a landmark season. Arsenal’s women, the only English side to have won the Uefa Champions League, this year won the inaugural Fifa Women’s Champions Cup and reached the Champions League semi-final.
Putellas most recently played for Spain in a 4-0 World Cup qualifying victory against England in Mallorca on Friday, scoring twice. She has 147 caps for her country, and also won the Fifa best women’s player award in 2021 and 2022, as well as the Uefa women’s player of the year award in the same years.
For London City, a club that only joined the WSL this season, signing Putellas represents an extraordinary moment – a signal of intent that could alter the balance of power in English women’s football.