England striker Chloe Kelly has agreed to join Manchester City Women on a two year deal following the end of her contract with Everton.
Kelly, 22, will take the number 9 shirt which was vacated by Pauline Bremer who has joined Wolfsburg this summer after an injury-hit spell at the City Football Academy.
Kelly joins the club after a three year spell on Merseyside and already knows some of her new team mates – Georgia Stanway, Ellie Roebuck, and Esme Morgan, from their time together at the 2017 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup.
Kelly made her debut for the national team in November 2018 in a 3-0 win over Austria, earning three more caps after that.
Commenting on her move, Kelly said: “I’m unbelievably excited. I’m just so happy to have the deal sorted and I can’t wait to get going – I’m honoured to be a City player.
“Manchester City are a hugely ambitious club whose aspirations match my own and as soon as I had my initial discussions with the staff, I knew that it was the place I wanted to be.
“Having spoken to Gareth [Taylor] too after he joined the team, I could tell immediately what a great manager he is and I was excited by the idea of working with him.
“The development made by a number of young players at the Club was massive for me, and the opportunity to play Champions League football was a real draw too. Now it’s all sorted, I can’t wait for what is to come in the blue shirt.”
Head Coach Gareth Taylor added: “We’re thrilled that Chloe has put pen to paper to join us here at Manchester City.
“She is an incredibly exciting young talent who has broken onto the scene in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League and the England set-up in recent years, but there’s still so much more to come from her.
“I’m delighted that we now have the opportunity to help Chloe in the next part of her development journey as she continues her growth as a player on the way to fulfilling her potential.”
Head of Women’s Football, Gavin Makel, echoed Taylor’s sentiments, saying: “Chloe is one of the most exciting young talents within the game and I am as equally excited to see her play for the Club.
“Our ethos around recruiting and further developing young talent is again evidenced here and alongside other young players within the squad, Chloe is a perfect example of that strategy.
“She is the type of player that gets fans out of their seats and we look forward to seeing her in City blue.”
Kelly is expected to be the first of three major transfers to City, with the expectation that two other England internationals would be coming to the club later in the summer.
It is highly anticipated that Lucy Bronze will be returning to City while ex-Manchester United captain Alex Greenwood will also be joining the club.
Both are currently with Lyon and will be competing in the Women’s Champions League finals at the end of August.