Women’s Super League side Manchester City have re-signed England right-back Lucy Bronze from European champions Lyon on a two-year contract.
The 28-year-old won her third consecutive Women’s Champions League title with the French side last month.
She returns on a free transfer as her deal with Lyon expired on 31 August.
Winner of the BBC’s Women’s Footballer of the Year award for the second time in 2020, Bronze is one of the sport’s most decorated defenders.
She has been an integral part of the Lionesses side that have reached the semi-finals of three major international tournaments in a row and her return will be seen as a huge boost to City’s hopes of reclaiming the WSL crown, as well as their attempts to win a first European title.
Bronze is City’s fourth summer signing so far, after the arrivals of World Cup-winning United States midfielders Sam Mewis and Rose Lavelle, and England forward Chloe Kelly from Everton.
‘There’s nowhere I’d rather be’
Northumberland-born Bronze began her career with Sunderland and has also played for Everton and Liverpool, whom she helped win back-to-back WSL titles, before she joined Manchester City for her first spell in 2014.
She was a key part of the City side that won the WSL and Continental League Cup in 2016, as well as 2017’s Women’s FA Cup.
“I’m really happy to be back here at City,” said Bronze, who has been capped 70 times by England. “I always had it in my mind that I would return one day and it just feels like the perfect time and opportunity right now.
“I really enjoyed my time in France, but there were so many things that I missed and it’s great to be back.
“There’s nowhere I’d rather be right now than with Manchester City and I’m really excited to see what the future holds with the exciting squad we have here.”
Bronze’s trophy-filled Lyon spell
After joining Lyon in 2017, Bronze told BBC Radio 5 live she had moved to the European champions to improve her technical skills – and she has since spent three successful campaigns playing alongside many of the world’s best players, including Norwegian striker Ada Hegerberg.
In Bronze’s time with Lyon, they won eight of the nine major trophies available to them. She won three Champions Leagues, three domestic league titles and two French Cups – missing out on the latter in 2018 when they lost in the final.
She has also been named in the Fifa Fifpro Women’s World XI twice, while she was crowned Uefa Women’s Player of the Year in 2019.
Manchester City head coach Gareth Taylor described Bronze as an “unrivalled talent”.
He added: “Her endless individual and team awards only scratch the surface of what a superb player she is.”
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