Netherlands Midfielder Jill Roord has signed for Manchester City Women from VfL Wolfsburg for a club record fee.
Roord, 26, has returned to England after a two year spell in Germany having been on the books at Arsenal between 2019 and 2021.
During her time in England Roord helped the Gunners to the final of the Continental Tyres League cup and back to back top-three finishes in the WSL.
She will wear the number 20 for Manchester City after signing for what’s believed to be a club-record fee of £300,000 on a three year deal.
Starting her career at the age of 16 with FC Twente, she lifted four Eredivise league titles and the KNVB Women’s Cup in her four seasons in the Netherlands during which time she was top scorer in the 2015/16 season.
Her international career with the Netherlands saw her earn 86 caps since her debut in 2015, scoring 21 goals.
After moving on to Bayern Munich and then Arsenal, she returned to the Frauen Bundesliga with Wolfsburg where she scored 31 goals in 69 times.
Roord said: “I’m very happy and it’s a very proud feeling for me to sign for Manchester City.
“I have always thought that this was a fantastic club with lots of quality, and I’m super excited to start here.
“I really like the way that they play, and I feel that it suits me perfectly.
“There’s a lot of quality in the team, and it’s a young side with plenty of potential which is very important to me.
“I’ve always thought that the Women’s Super League is very competitive, so playing in England again is like a dream – I feel like I have developed a lot as a player during my time in Germany.
“In my conversations with Gareth [Taylor], I heard everything that I wanted to hear – we think the same way about football which is important, and where he sees me in the team was ideal – it is the perfect fit.
“If you play for City, you compete for everything you are involved in and that is what we will be aiming to do – with the quality we have here, anything is possible so I hope that we will be very successful together.”
Head Coach Gareth Taylor added: “We’re really pleased to have been able to secure Jill’s signature and bring her to the Club.
“She has proven her worth in both England and Europe during her career so far, alongside on the international stage with the Netherlands – she is no stranger to success.
“She is a player whose calibre speaks for itself with what she has achieved, and we believe she will be a fantastic addition to our squad here at City.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming her aboard and working with her over the next three years.”