Stunning swap transfer between Man City & Man Utd made official as England duo Jess Park & Grace Clinton trade clubs on WSL deadline day

The two England stars have swapped clubs in a shocking deadline day transaction which will see both clubs receive a fee, albeit with City to pay more for Clinton than United will for Park, according to the Athletic. Both have signed four-year deals with their new sides.

Park's move to Man Utd was announced late on Thursday, an hour before the WSL transfer deadline. She is the club's third signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Bayern Munich midfielder Julia Zigiotti Olme and Barcelona forward Fridolina Rolfo. Clinton's switch was then revealed half an hour later, with her the sixth new face through the doors on the blue side of Manchester in this transfer window.

Speaking upon the announcement of her move to Man Utd, Park said: "I am really happy to be here and can’t wait to get started. I wanted to break out of the boundaries and push myself to take on a new challenge. I’m the sort of person who wants to keep improving and pushing limits, and I think this is the perfect place for me to do that. I’m a player who wants the ball, and when I get it I like to look up and try and make things happen for my teammates, so I think I can fit in really well here. I know the ambitions are very high and I want to help the team push towards them."

Clinton, meanwhile, said of her transfer to Man City: “City, for me, has always played an amazing style of football. Keeping the ball, it looks lovely, and there are amazing players [here]. I want to get better and grow and learn things in my career and I think there are amazing people here to learn things from. To play this style of football will be really enjoyable.”

Clinton confirmed her exit from Man Utd a couple of hours before her move to Man City was announced, in a statement on social media. Her comments about not being aligned with the future of the club will be sure to frustrate fans of the Red Devils, who will be sad to see her go.

"The club and I have taken the decision to part ways over the past few days," Clinton wrote on Instagram. "To our supporters, from the day I signed as a teenager, I was overwhelmed by your support for me and the team. You are an unbelievable fanbase and always our 12th player. This has been a very difficult decision for me because of the love I have for my teammates and for you, the fans. However, I feel the future of the club and I aren’t on the same page. For me personally, the next step is about growth. I want to continue to develop and learn. Thank you for everything."

Park could make her Man Utd debut this weekend, as the Women's Super League returns. The Red Devils host Leicester on Sunday afternoon in their first league game of the new season. Clinton, meanwhile, is likely to have had a tighter turnaround when it comes to being registered for City's opener, given it comes on on Friday night, away at champions Chelsea. The midfielder has also been been suffering from a knock lately so may not be fully fit.