London City Lionesses news

As the Women's Super League season came to a close on Saturday, a team other than Chelsea lifted the trophy for the first time in seven years, with the Manchester City's scenes of celebration bringing the curtain down on a year of action that has had its fair share of shocks and surprises.

Transfers in women's football have gone crazy in the last 18 months. It was in January of last year that Naomi Girma became the first million-dollar player in the sport and yet she is now already only the sixth most-expensive women's player of all time, with seven-figure fees suddenly becoming more and more frequent as the game grows.

Barcelona are reportedly 'close' to losing star defender Ona Batlle to Arsenal on a free transfer, with speculation surrounding the futures of two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas and key centre-back Mapi Leon also growing as the pair near the ends of their current contracts in Catalunya. London City Lionesses have shown interest in both, as the newly-promoted Women's Super League side look to make a splash in the summer transfer window.

Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman has been forced to rejig her squad slightly ahead of the World Cup qualifiers against Spain and Iceland next week, after an injury withdrawal. The England manager has taken the opportunity to hand out another maiden call-up while also strengthening her squad with a further body, by adding Chelsea full-back Niamh Charles following her strong return to action after three months out.

The Women's Asian Cup began on March 1, kickstarting a month that was set to see two of the major tournaments in the women's game take place, with the Africa Cup of Nations to follow on March 17. Incredibly, the latter was postponed just 12 days before it was due to start, but the impact the Asian Cup will have on the continuing club competitions will still be fascinating, as teams across the women's game say goodbye to some of their best players for a few weeks.

Lionesses newcomer Poppy Pattinson has revealed that she was on a flight watching Love Island when Sarina Wiegman phoned to give the defender her first senior England call-up. The London City Lionesses star could make her senior international debut next month, as the reigning European champions prepare for World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine and Iceland.

Tottenham Hotspur booked their place in the Women's FA Cup quarter-finals in the most dramatic fashion possible, overcoming a stubborn London City Lionesses side in a marathon penalty shootout on Monday night. After a 2-2 draw at Hayes Lane that saw Spurs rescue themselves with a 95th-minute penalty, the north London outfit eventually triumphed 9-8 in a shootout that saw 17 consecutive successful spot-kicks before a final hero emerged.

Manchester United earned their seventh straight victory in all competitions as they came from behind to beat London City Lionesses 2-1 in the Women's Super League. A stunning Jess Park equaliser and a late Millie Turner winner on her return from injury secured the three points after Nikita Parris had given the newly-promoted visitors the lead, as the Red Devils stay second in the division with the hard-fought victory.

United States star Catarina Macario reportedly has an offer on the table from three-time Champions League winners Barcelona, amid growing interest in her services from major clubs across Europe. Macario's contract with Chelsea expires at the end of the season and it has also been reported that she has turned down a new deal with the Blues, making her a figure of real interest as the summer transfer window approaches.

As investment in the women’s game continues to grow, each and every transfer window feels bigger and bigger, as both the anticipation and likelihood of new record transfers and big money moves for the game’s greatest stars increases. In that sense, January is never as headline-grabbing as the summer window, but there has still been plenty of eye-catching business over the last few weeks - especially in the Women’s Super League.