Women's Super League newcomers London City Lionesses person signed the Netherlands midfielder Danielle van de Donk connected a two-year contract.
Van de Donk, who has 167 planetary caps, returns to England 4 years aft leaving Arsenal to articulation French broadside Lyon.
The 33-year-old becomes London City's archetypal signing since they clinched promotion to the apical formation for the archetypal clip aft finishing 2 points wide of Birmingham City successful the Championship.
A WSL victor with the Gunners successful 2018-19, Van de Donk has won 4 consecutive league titles since joining Lyon successful 2021 and besides lifted the Champions League successful 2022.
"It's conscionable specified a bully situation to beryllium in, the nine truly appeals to me, it reminds maine of a small family, and I privation to beryllium a portion of it," Van de Donk said.
"The task that London City have, it's antithetic but successful a bully way. London City person to conflict for everything and that's my style."
Financially backed by Michele Kang, who besides owns Lyon and Washington Spirit successful the USA, London City volition go the archetypal autarkic women's club, not associated with immoderate men's team, to play successful the WSL.
Since splitting from Millwall successful 2019 they person been a regular successful the 2nd part but person been boosted by the concern from their affluent American proprietor since her accomplishment successful 2023.
Van de Donk began her vocation successful the Netherlands with Willem II earlier playing for VVV-Venlo and PSV Eindhoven.
After a little spell with Goteborg successful Sweden she signed for Arsenal successful 2015, besides winning the FA Cup and League Cup during a six-year enactment successful London.
She besides won the European Championship with the Netherlands connected location ungraded successful 2017 and helped her federation scope the World Cup last successful 2019.
BBC Sport elder women's shot quality newsman Emma Sanders
This is simply a superior connection of intent from the recently promoted WSL broadside and their ambitious proprietor Michele Kang.
The independently owned nine raised eyebrows successful the 2nd tier past play erstwhile they brought big-name Sweden internationals Kosovare Asllani and Sofia Jakobsson, arsenic good arsenic Japan defender Saki Kumagai, to England.
Kang was wide she was consenting to backmost them again this play aft gaining promotion and they person ambitions to interruption into the WSL's apical four.
If determination were immoderate doubts arsenic to however superior Kang was, this opening signing of the summertime transportation model has squashed them.
It is besides an illustration of however Kang hopes to usage each 3 shot clubs she owns – Washington Spirit, Lyon and London City Lionesses – to transportation endowment betwixt leagues.
Van de Donk brings a wealthiness of acquisition and knows the league good from her awesome six-year spell with Arsenal betwixt 2015 and 2021, winning the WSL rubric during that time.
Her woman Ellie Carpenter, who she played with astatine Lyon, has been successful talks with Chelsea implicit a imaginable determination this summertime too.
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