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.
Aiming to make a significant splash in their debut season in the top-flight WSL, the newly promoted London City Lionesses are gearing up by trying to bolster their roster with big names — including the club's newest target, Arsenal forward Beth Mead.
According to reports, London City owner Michele Kang has reportedly made a formal offer to acquire the longtime Arsenal star, who has suited up for the Gunners for the last eight years.
In her 225 appearances for the club, Mead has scored 78 goals en route to snagging Arsenal the 2018/19 WSL championship as well as a trio of League Cups.
Most recently, the 30-year-old attacker helped the Gunners shockingly upend powerhouse Barcelona to claim the 2024/25 Champions League crown — the WSL's first UWCL title in 18 years.
The WSL's all-time assists leader added another international trophy to her case just last month, as the England national booked a second straight Euro title to go along with her Golden Boot-winning tournament in 2022.
Regardless of the outcome, London City's offer makes a serious statement as the Lionesses ascend the ranks of women's football behind Kang's growing multi-team empire.
London City has already picked up players like Swedish legend Kosovare Asllani, Dutch midfielder Daniëlle Van de Donk, and former Manchester United forward Nikita Parris, signaling the Lionesses' intentions to keep rising ahead of their inaugural 2025/26 WSL campaign.
Nikita Parris is reportedly returning to the Women’s Super League.
First reported by SkyNews, Parris is on her way back to England two years after leaving Manchester City, as Arsenal has agreed to a deal with Lyon to sign the striker.
🚨 | Arsenal have agreed a deal with Lyon to sign England international striker Nikita Parris.
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) June 16, 2021
The news comes after reports in May that the two clubs were in talks over swapping Parris for striker Vivianne Miedema. Miedema is in the final 12 months of her contract.
Parris spent the past two seasons at Lyon, where she scored 13 goals in 20 appearances. She’s also had success in the WSL, leaving it as its record scorer with 49 goals, which was surpassed this past season by Miedema and City’s Ellen White.
In her three years with Manchester, Parris won one WSL title, two FA Cups and two Continental League Cups. Her final season saw her contest the Golden Boot with Miedema, scoring 19 goals in 19 appearances.
Parris was recently named to the Tokyo Olympic team for Great Britain.
Reportedly, she is already back in the UK and set to undergo a medical examination in order to make the deal final.