Barcelona have signed Manchester City midfielder Keira Walsh for a reported world record fee in the women’s game.
England ace Walsh, 25, makes the move to Barca in a deal believed to be £400,000, exceeding the £300k spent by Chelsea to sign Pernille Harder from Wolfsburg in 2020.
Walsh was one of the stars of the Lionesses’ Euro 2022 success and City have reluctantly accepted an offer for their prized asset with her contract running out next year.
The Rochdale-born star will now want to continue the form she showed for Sarina Wiegman’s European champions earlier this summer at her new club.
Speaking on Monday, Walsh said: “I’ve found a bit of consistency under Sarina. I probably struggled with that a little bit before she came in.
“She’s given me the confidence to go and play my game. I think it’s just about carrying on this consistency and the form I found at the Euros now.”
Walsh leaves City as the club’s joint record appearance holder alongside Steph Houghton on 211 and with eight goals to her name.
She won her 50th England cap in the 10-0 victory over Luxembourg last night and joins fellow Lioness Lucy Bronze in making the move from City to Barca this summer.
The Manchester giants have seen an exodus of England stars since the end of last season with Georgia Stanway moving to Bayern Munich and Ellen White and Jill Scott retiring, while they have already been eliminated in the first round of this season’s Champions League qualifiers.
Barcelona, on the other hand, are the reigning Spanish title holders and were Champions League runners-up last season, a year on from winning the competition.
Having signed a three-year contract with the Catalan giants, Walsh could make her debut in Barca’s Primera Division opener at Levante Las Planas on Sunday.