Arsenal have signed Spain international full-back Ona Batlle on a free transfer following her departure from Barcelona, agreeing a four-year contract with the option of a further year. The 27-year-old is widely regarded as one of the best full-backs in the world, and her arrival strengthens a squad that won the Champions League in 2025 but subsequently endured a transitional Women's Super League season. She said she had joined to win trophies at "one of the biggest clubs in the world".

During her three-year spell at Barcelona, Batlle made 114 appearances, winning three successive league titles and two European cups, and she started the Champions League final defeat by Arsenal in 2025. She previously played for Madrid CFF, Levante and Manchester United, and has 76 Spain caps, having won the 2023 World Cup and finished runners-up to England at Euro 2025, as well as being named in the Fifa Best XI in 2024 and 2025. She will wear the number 22 shirt and joins other new signings Georgia Stanway, Selina Cerci and Geraldine Reuteler as Arsenal, now boasting Batlle and Emily Fox at full-back, revamp their recruitment ahead of the new season.