Chelsea sign US forward Catarina Macario from Lyon on three-year deal

Chelsea have announced the signing of the forward Catarina Macario on a three-year deal. The 23-year-old United States international joins from Lyon, where she spent two seasons.

After a college career with Stanford University, Macario signed her first professional contract with Lyon in 2021 and helped them win the French title and Champions League in her first campaign.

Macario sustained a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament injury last June which ruled her out of the 2022-23 season and she will miss the World Cup.

“I can play either as a No 10 or a more traditional No 9 and I’m looking forward to linking up with some many good forward players such as Sam [Kerr], Lauren James and Guro [Reiten],” she told the Chelsea website before picking out one of her former Lyon teammates. “It will be good to play with Kadeisha [Buchanan] again also.

“I’ve been fortunate to have some great experiences in Europe already with Lyon, playing with many top players and of course winning the Champions League also. I hope to carry on those experiences here and bring home the trophy for Chelsea.”

Chelsea’s head coach, Emma Hayes, said: “Cat is one of the most intelligent, creative attacking players in the world who I think will blossom in this Chelsea team. She brings a great deal of flair, European experience and an unbelievable winning mentality. I think our fans will really love her.”

The move continues a busy summer for Chelsea, who have released the forward Pernille Harder and the defender Magdalena Eriksson – they have joined Bayern Munich – and signed two other players: the midfielder Sjoeke Nüsken and the goalkeeper Nicky Evrard.