Man City women to lose star player as Laia Aleixandri agrees return to Barcelona on free transfer

In 2022, Aleixandri joined City from Atletico Madrid in the summer after having spent five years with the Liga F side as a key member of their squad, which also saw her become a regular with the Spanish national team.

Sport reports that Aleixandri is set to switch to Barcelona this summer as a free agent, as the Catalan side have the 24-year-old high on their priority list. Aleixandri can play as a centre-back, her natural position, as a pivot and as a full-back, and Barcelona are very keen on acquiring the star who can help bolster the squad in multiple spots.

Aleixandri came up through Barca's youth system having joined the Catalan side in 2012. While she had a meteoric rise through the youth setup, she could not find a spot in the first team and decided to join Atletico in 2017.

City were keen on not losing Aleixandri after their disappointing season. However, the Spaniard is now set to leave for Barcelona, and the English side will have to figure out a transfer plan to cover for her departure this summer.