Lucy Bronze left Manchester City when her contract expired this summer; the England defender has signed a two-year deal at the Spanish champions; Barcelona won 30 out of 30 league games last season, scoring 159 goals
Sunday 19 June 2022 17:06, UK
Lucy Bronze says she was unable to turn down the chance to move to Barcelona after joining the Catalans from Manchester City.
The 30-year-old right back, who will play for England at Euro 2022 this summer, has signed a two-year deal with the Spanish champions and Champions League runners-up.
Bronze made 111 appearances for City during her two years in Manchester, scoring 14 goals, but left the club at the end of her contract.
And the England international said the opportunity to play for one of the biggest clubs in world football was ultimately just too hard to resist.
"I'm just really excited to play for a club like Barcelona, one of the biggest clubs in the world," said Bronze. "I can't wait to get into training with the girls.
"At the end of the season I was already leaving my old club anyway. And after a couple of conversations, as soon as I had an offer, I knew that Barca were interested... Yeah, you can't say no to Barcelona, so I had to come and I'm just really excited.
"The team is already amazing, play amazing football and win a lot of trophies. They were unfortunate in the Champions League final but I know the club's aspirations are to win Champions League titles, and that's the goal I have as well. As a player, I hope to add some energy in attack and defence.
"I'm just so happy to be here, can't wait to play in front of the fans, and I'll do everything I can for this club to make sure we can win trophies together."
The defender told Sky Sports News last week that a decision on her club future had been made - and now her focus is fully on England going into this summer's European Championships on home soil.
Bronze will link up with Barcelona after the tournament, with the Spanish giants recording an unblemished league record last season by winning all 30 of their matches to romp to the title.
The Catalan club scored 159 goals to win the league but fell short in the Champions League final - losing 3-1 to Lyon, who Bronze represented for three years between 2017 and 2020.
Sarina Wiegman has announced her final 23-player England Women squad for the upcoming Women's European Championships.
She has whittled down her squad from 28 players as England prepare for a home Euros, starting on July 6 against Austria at Old Trafford.
Here, we profile each player as we get to know the Lionesses aiming for glory this summer.
