Why do Barcelona want to break transfer records to sign Kerolin?
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Kerolin is poised to join Barcelona from Manchester City for £1.28m, surpassing Olivia Smith's Liverpool-to-Arsenal move as the highest fee ever received for a WSL player
- Barcelona are willing to breach their own longstanding £500k transfer ceiling to sign the Brazilian, who will link up with reigning Ballon d'Or holder Aitana Bonmatí
- Manchester City signed Kerolin from the NWSL just 18 months ago; in 37 WSL appearances she scored 12 goals, with only Khadija Shaw and Stina Blackstenius posting a better goals-per-90 ratio in that span
- Kerolin leads all WSL players in take-ons attempted and completed, with the source describing a rare blend of scoring, chance creation, and two-way explosive pace
- Barcelona have bid farewell to Alexia Putellas, Ona Batlle and Mapi León this summer, and the departure of Salma Paralluelo — now clubless after contract talks collapsed — left a direct vacancy for a forward of Kerolin's profile
- Manchester City can replace Kerolin from a deep wide-forward pool that includes Aoba Fujino, Mary Fowler, Iman Beney and new arrival Beth Mead, with Khadija Shaw among the biggest losers having benefited most from her assists
Why it matters: Barcelona have leaned on global pull rather than transfer outlay to keep their squad stocked, but the article makes clear rivals have closed that gap — paying 2.5x their previous ceiling for a 26-year-old with a complete forward skillset is a public signal they are willing to spend to stay atop European women's football.
