London City Lionesses have signed two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas on a three-year deal, in what is being described as one of the biggest transfers in women's football history. The 32-year-old Spain midfielder, widely regarded as one of the game's greatest players, left Barcelona in May after 14 years and drew interest from almost every leading club worldwide before choosing London City. The move is a major statement for a club that only won promotion to the Women's Super League last summer and finished sixth in its debut top-flight campaign.

Putellas joins on a free transfer, having let her Barcelona contract expire, and is believed to be London City's highest-paid player on a base salary of under £1m a year plus bonuses. During her time at Barcelona she won 38 trophies, including 10 league titles and four Champions League crowns, and scored a club-record 232 goals in 507 appearances. She was unveiled at a polished, live-streamed event at a New York hotel alongside the club's US billionaire owner Michele Kang, who framed the signing as transformational both for London City and the wider WSL. Putellas, who won the 2023 World Cup with Spain and lost the Euro 2025 final to England, insisted the switch was not about money but about challenging herself in the most competitive league at a club with a female owner and no men's team behind it.