Michele Kang’s spending spree continued this week, as London City signed French winger Kadidiatou Diani to a three-year deal on Wednesday to mark the team’s sixth blockbuster summer window addition.
The 31-year-old joined the Michele Kang-backed Lionesses from fellow Kang property OL Lyonnes for a reported fee north of $670,000.
The signing follows two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas, ex-England goalkeeper Mary Earps, Spain’s Mapi León, and more in Kang’s bid to make the newly promoted WSL side a surprise title threat.
Diani won’t be away for long, with LCL also announcing plans to face the reigning Première Ligue winner in Lyon for August 29th’s Mastercard Cup.
Though her Champions League dreams could hit a snag, as UEFA bars one owner from controlling two clubs in the same competition — a potential clash if London City and Lyon both qualify for the UWCL.
Alexia Putellas is England-bound, as the two-time Ballon d’Or winner is reportedly joining the WSL’s London City Lionesses after departing Barcelona.
The 32-year-old midfielder closed out a 14-year run with Barcelona last month. Her tenure subsequently spanned 38 trophies, 232 goals in 507 appearances, and four UWCL titles. She also won the 2023 World Cup with Spain.
Backed by US billionaire Michele Kang, London City finished the 2025/26 season in sixth place after getting promoted to the top-flight league last summer.
Alexia Putellas Marks Herself Safe Amid Venezuela Earthquakes
Putellas additionally made headlines off the field this week. She confirmed that she was safe after Wednesday’s deadly 7+ magnitude earthquakes in Venezuela.
“Both my family and I are safe,” she posted from Caracas. Putellas was in Venezuela participating in activities related to her Eleven Foundation and the Liga Monumental small-sided tournament.
“Sending lots of strength during this tragedy to all Venezuelans and to all the families affected.”
Former England goalkeeper Mary Earps signed a two-year deal with the WSL’s Michele Kang-backed London City Lionesses after two years with France’s PSG.
Earps made 22 appearances for the Première Ligue titan. She recorded 12 shutouts en route to a third-place finish behind Kang’s OL Lyonnes.
“The club’s values represent what I want to represent and they are passionate about what I want to achieve,” Earps said in a team statement. “Every time I spoke with the club I wanted to hear more.”
The 2022 Euros champion subsequently represents just one piece of London City’s ambitious offseason. The club is additionally pushing to sign Spain’s Mapi Leon and Alexia Putellas after finishing its first WSL season in sixth place.
“The vision and ambition, including the new training facility, is incredible,” Earps said. “It shows what our owner Michele and everyone at the club want to do.”
“I feel I still have so much left to give to the game, and that’s exactly why I chose London City,” she added.
TIME is giving women’s sports its due, as the magazine highlighted top athletes and leaders in this week’s TIME 100 Most Influential People in Sports.
Olympic game-changers, WNBA superstars, soccer greats, coaching icons, and front office giants all made the cut, as multi-team owner Michele Kang, South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, and Liberty owner Clara Wu Tsai joined athletes like A’ja Wilson, Alex Morgan, and Alysa Liu.
“The inaugural TIME100 Sports list recognizes individuals who are not only excelling in their fields, but also shaping culture, expanding opportunity, and influencing the world far beyond competition,” said TIME CEO Jessica Sibley said in a statement.
TIME took special interest in the Winter Olympics, after the stars of Milan Cortina broke into the public consciousness this past February.
US and Canada hockey rivals Hilary Knight and Marie-Philip Poulin headlined the selection, while skiers Lindsey Vonn, Eileen Gu, and Mikaela Shiffrin, and Paralympian Oksana Masters joined Liu in the spotlight.
The WNBA also got the TIME treatment, as Wilson shared the honors with Caitlin Clark, Nneka Ogwumike, and Aces head coach Becky Hammon.
FC Barcelona is Europe’s champion once again, after dominating OL Lyonnes 4-0 to lift a fourth Champions League trophy in Saturday’s Barcelona vs Lyoness UWCL final.
After a closely contested first half, Barça exploded in the final 45 minutes. Forwards Ewa Pajor and Salma Paralluelo both scored braces, leading the charge for Barcelona.
“We fought for everything, for the win, and now we are the best team in the world,” said Player of the Match Pajor. “It’s a great moment for me, for the team.”
“You get a sense of release off your shoulders, you think about everything it has cost to get this far, and you value having won it even more — and having won it the way we won it,” said coach Pere Romeu.
“Even though we pulled away on the scoreboard, it was a real team match. Cata saved us in a couple of situations, then we scored and we kept pushing. I’m very happy.”
UEFA Multi-Team Ownership Policy Threatens Kang’s UWCL Future
Michele Kang — the US billionaire behind Lyonnes and the WSL’s London City Lionesses — was likely disappointed in the loss. However, she now braces for a potential UWCL dilemma with UEFA cracking down on multi-team ownership.
The European governing body banned teams run by the same ownership group from competing in interleague competition. The move places Kang’s lineup in jeopardy should both clubs qualify for Champions League.
Women's soccer clubs are shelling it out, as the 2025 Global Transfer Report from FIFA showed that women's pro team spending reached record highs last year.
Clubs spent a total of $28.6 million on a total of 2,440 international women's soccer transfers, marking a 6.3% year-over-year increase in the number of athletes, but a massive 83.6% bump in spending over 2024 — even without accounting for intra-league deals.
England led the pack on the 2025 FIFA Global Transfer Report, dropping $11 million in fees while taking in $2.1 million in sales, followed by the NWSL's $7.9 million spent.
Notably, US players were in the highest demand at 240 transfers — more than double the 108 British athletes comprising the nationality coming in second.
Reigning WSL champions Chelsea FC sit atop the spending list, racking up high-profile signings like USWNT stars Naomi Girma and Alyssa Thompson.
US billionaire Michele Kang's London City Lionesses trail the Blues at No. 2 in just their first WSL season following last spring's promotion, with the also-Kang-owned French side OL Lyonnes clocking in at No. 3 on the transfer fee list.
Six NWSL teams made the Top 10, led by the Orlando Pride at No. 4, Utah Royals at No. 5, and Washington Spirit at No. 6 — with the Spirit also falling into Kang's portfolio.
Trinity Rodman is officially staying in the NWSL, as the USWNT star announced a deal to return to the Washington Spirit in a high-profile press conference on Thursday night.
Signed through 2028, the 23-year-old forward's new contract is reportedly worth over $2 million per year, making her the world's highest-paid women's soccer player.
"I've made the DMV my home and the Spirit my family, and I knew this was where I wanted to enter the next chapter of my career," Rodman said in a club statement.
The Rodman deal marks a major win for both the Washington Spirit and the NWSL, as USWNT standouts like former Angel City forward Alyssa Thompson and ex-Portland Thorns midfielder Sam Coffey leave the US league to pursue opportunities overseas.
Notably, the deal utilizes the new "High Impact Player" (HIP) rule allowing clubs to exceed the NWSL salary cap for top talent. It results in more balanced terms than Washington's previous back-loaded offer, which the league rejected.
"[Trinity] represents the future of this club and the future of women's soccer," said Spirit owner Michele Kang. "This agreement reflects our belief that elite talent deserves elite commitment."
While the HIP rule is still under arbitration due to an NWSLPA grievance, Rodman's re-signing could be the light at the end of the NWSL's tunnel.
How to watch Trinity Rodman in this weekend's women's soccer lineup
Trinity Rodman will suit up for the USWNT tomorrow, facing Paraguay in the first of two January friendlies. The match kicks off at 5:30 PM ET, live on TNT.
US Soccer officially launched the Kang Women's Institute on Tuesday, creating a new platform dedicated to "advancing health, performance, and development for women and girls across the sport" funded by $55 million from multi-team owner Michele Kang.
"For far too long, women and girls have trained under systems and standards built for men, and the Kang Women's Institute is an essential first step in changing that," US Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone said in a federation statement. "By grounding our work in real research and evidence, we can finally give female players the support, care, and understanding they deserve.
"This is the beginning of a much larger effort, and Michele has helped us take a huge leap forward in reshaping the future of the women's game for generations to come."
After adding a $25 million investment last April to her original $30 million pledge to US Soccer in 2024, Kang is going all in on addressing the stark lack of sports medicine and exercise science research into women athletes — and female physiology at-large.
"This Institute will put female athletes at the center of US Soccer's scientific research and build the evidence, systems, and standards that will allow women and girls to reach their full potential," promised Kang.
The Institute also outlined its early initiatives in Tuesday's press release, with injury prevention and workload management, developmental best practices, and physical and mental player well-being headlining the projects.
"This is not just about closing a research gap," said Kang. "It's about creating a future where every player has the knowledge, care, and opportunity to thrive."
Forbes tapped the most powerful women in sports this week, ranking the Top 25 players, executives, and others pushing the needle in the ever-growing sports — and women's sports — sector.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark is the highest-ranked athlete at No. 4, joined by Unrivaled co-founders Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart at No. 9, as well as tennis stars Serena Williams (No. 11) and Coco Gauff (No. 13), reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson at No. 15, gymnastics titan Simone Biles at No. 18, and world No. 2 golfer Nelly Korda at No. 21.
Also making the 2025 Forbes Most Powerful Women in Sports roster are tennis legend Billie Jean King (No. 23), NCAA basketball coaching icon Dawn Staley (No. 20), and Las Vegas Aces sideline leader Becky Hammon (No. 22).
Women's sports multi-team owner Michele Kang came in at No. 5, with NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman (No. 7), New York Liberty owner Clara Wu Tsai (No. 10), US Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone (No. 14), and more representing the off-field lineup.
According to the publication, the new annual list honors leaders "who are transforming one of the world's most influential industries, shaping strategy, driving innovation, and expanding the role of women across the sports economy."
Investments, influence, and growth drivers were all taken into consideration, with Forbes also dividing selectees into five categories: owners/investors, business executives, front office leaders, athletes, and amplifiers.
USWNT rising star Alyssa Thompson is officially on her way to London, with the NWSL's Angel City and WSL side Chelsea FC finalizing the 20-year-old's reported £1 million transfer ahead of the UK league's 2025/26 season kick-off on Friday.
The two clubs reached a verbal agreement with Thompson readying to ink a five-year contract on Thursday, just hours before the WSL's 6 PM ET transfer window closure — with six-time reigning league-winners Chelsea set to open their next WSL campaign against Manchester City in a mere 24 hours.
Chelsea has been aggressive in the transfer market this year, as the WSL titan fields mounting pressure from clubs eager to upend the top of the table.
Second-place 2024/25 finishers Arsenal enter the season as UWCL champions, coming off Canadian star Olivia Smith's splashy £1 million transfer while also signing Smith's former Liverpool teammate Taylor Hinds.
Man City will also be looking to better their fourth-place 2024/25 run, hoping for a healthy Bunny Shaw to combine with Dutch phenom Vivianne Miedema while adding ex-Arsenal defender Laura Wienroither and decorated German midfielder Sydney Lohmann to their ranks.
This weekend's WSL action will also feature the newly promoted London City Lionesses, kicking off their top-flight entry against Arsenal on Saturday.
Backed by US-based multi-team owner Michele Kang, London City has also been busy this offseason, bringing on a laundry list of talent including midfielder Daniëlle van de Donk (OL Lyonnes) and forward Nikita Parris (Brighton) plus their own Angel City finds in midfielder Katie Zelem and defender Alanna Kennedy.
How to watch the Barclays WSL season kick-off this weekend
The 2025/26 WSL action kicks off with Chelsea hosting Manchester City at 2:30 PM ET on Friday, before league debutants London City visit Arsenal at 8:30 AM ET on Saturday.
Currently, WSL matches will likely stream live on YouTube, though an official US media partner has not yet been announced.