Barcelona sign England star Bronze following Man City exit

Barcelona have signed England defender Lucy Bronze after she announced her departure from Manchester City last month.

Bronze, named The Best FIFA Women’s Player in 2020, had been linked with a move to the United States but has instead made a shock switch to Champions League runners-up Barca.

The 30-year-old won five trophies during two spells with City, having been a European champion in three successive seasons with Lyon between 2017 and 2020.

And the full-back will be confident of adding to those successes with the Blaugranes, who have won three consecutive Spanish top-flight titles and lost out to Lyon in last month’s Champions League final, having thrashed Chelsea to claim the European crown in 2021.

Barcelona Femeni’s official twitter account posted an image of Bronze alongside the caption “welcome to your new home” on Saturday, before the club’s website revealed she had signed a two-year deal.

Bronze told the club’s media channels: “I’m very happy to play for a club like FC Barcelona, one of the biggest teams in the world. I really want to start working with the team.

“After a couple of conversations, you can’t say no to Barca.”

Barcelona beat their own world-record crowd for a women’s game in April, hammering Wolfsburg 5-1 in front of 91,648 spectators at Camp Nou.

Before joining up with her new club, Bronze will play a crucial role in England’s bid to win the European Championship.

The Lionesses will get their campaign underway against Austria at Old Trafford on July 6, looking to reach their first major final since Euro 2009.