Spanish superstar Alexia Putellas signs for London City Lionesses

[p]Her destination had become an open secret as the weeks went by. After bidding farewell to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/barcelona/YFBOvfnB/"]Barcelona[/a] at the end of last season, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/putellas-alexia/ChQLd9ci/"]Putellas[/a] already had an offer from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/london-city-lionesses/Qyn18a5D/"]London City[/a] on the table, along with others from the NWSL, the American women's league.[/p][p]In the end, she chose the London club owned by Michele Kang (who also owns OL Lyonnes), and her signing was officially announced this Wednesday, July 8th, in a grand ceremony in New York.[/p][p][b]"I am delighted to begin this new chapter with the London City Lionesses,"[/b] Putellas said at the event held in the United States.[/p][p][b]"The club’s ambition and unwavering commitment to developing as an independent, women-only club are especially close to my heart. Off the pitch, with my passion for youth development, I am equally excited to work with Michele to help advance women’s football in England and on the international stage."[/b][/p][embed guid="dfd91ae6-be9f-4bcc-af12-8599daa5aa4e" url="https://x.com/LC_Lionesses/status/2074865680952758603/video/1" social-type="twitter" /][p]London City owner Kang described the signing of the Spanish star as "a dream come true".[/p][p][b]"This is much more than just a signing; it’s a powerful statement about the future of this sport. Together, we will compete at the highest level while creating new business opportunities and development pathways for the next generation of female athletes."[/b][/p][p]Putellas joins London City for three seasons, where she will be reunited with María Pérez, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fernandez-jana/byXHpLzA/"]Jana Fernández[/a] and Lucía Corrales, two former Barcelona players who have already made the move to the English capital.[/p][p]As she had anticipated, she will not face Barcelona with her new club, since London City, promoted last season to the WSL, did not qualify for the Champions League.[/p][p]With a reported salary of over €1.7 million (£1.5m) per season, she surpasses the record set six months ago by Trinity Rodman, who renewed with the Washington Spirit, another club owned by Kang, with a salary exceeding $2 million. She thus becomes the highest-paid female footballer in the world.[/p]