Double Ballon d’Or Feminin Winner, Barcelona Legend to Make Shock Transfer Move

Alexia Putellas is one of the most recognizable, influential figures in women’s history.

Alexia Putellas is bound for London. | JAIME REINA / AFP via Getty Images

Two-time Ballon d’Or Feminin winner Alexia Putellas looks set to join London City Lionesses in a major transfer coup for the Women’s Super League club.

Putellas, widely regarded as one of the greatest women’s soccer players of all time, will join up with Michele Kang’s independently run club, after reportedly turning down a move to Boston Legacy in the NWSL.

At the end of the 2025–26 season, 32-year-old Putellas waved goodbye to Barcelona after 14 years at the club, ending a "perfect story" with a fourth Champions League title, beating Lyon 4–0 in the final.

Multiple sources, including the BBC, claim that London City Lionesses are now close to officializing a deal after beating out competition from multiple suitors for one of the most coveted free transfers in women’s soccer history.

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How Did London City Win the Race for Putellas?

The deal is the latest signal of Kang and the South London club’s intent in the market, with Putellas’s Barcelona teammate Mapi León also set to join. London City already boast a large Spanish contingent with Jana Fernández, María Pérez, Paula Partido and Elene Lete in last season’s roster.

The BBC claim the club’s pursuit of Putellas began as early as January and they have offered the superstar “substantial wages” to make the move to England.

Catalan outlet ARA, meanwhile, claims that Putellas agreed not to join a direct rival after leaving Barça—ruling out a move to existing European powerhouses like Arsenal, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and OL Lyonnes.

That report adds that the fact that London City is a “new club” helped influence Putellas’s final decision, with the midfielder keen to be a part of an independent women's club that can compete and be profitable on its own terms without being tethered to a men’s team.

In addition to four Champions League titles at Barcelona, Putellas won ten league titles and ten Copas de la Reina. She also lifted the Women’s World Cup in 2023.

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Who Are London City Lionesses?

Michelle Kang is a major figure in women’s soccer. | Kate McShane/Getty Images

The signing of Putellas will rank as London City’s most eyebrow-raising move yet, with the club fast becoming a disruptor in the women’s game in England.

Based in Bromley, the club has only been in operation since 2019 after splitting from Millwall Lionesses, with Kang taking over as owner in 2023. The 67-year-old businesswomen is a major name in women’s soccer and also runs OL Lyonnes and Washington Spirit.

In 2025, London City Lionesses became the first fully independent team to be promoted to the Women's Super League, while the club finished its debut season in the top flight in sixth position out of 12.

The stated ambition for Kang and the Lionesses is to achieve Champions League qualification, with the addition of big name players the next step in the project.

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