England forward Beth Mead is nearing a switch to Manchester City, according to sources, after Arsenal confirmed she will leave the club when her contract expires this summer, ending a nine-year stint in north London.
Since joining from Sunderland, Mead has made 265 appearances and scored 86 goals for Arsenal, playing a pivotal role in multiple trophy wins, including one Women’s Super League title, three League Cups, the Champions League, and the Champions Cup. Her contributions have cemented her status as a modern-day club legend.
Negotiations with City, the newly crowned WSL champions, are in an advanced stage, with the club hoping Mead will strengthen their attacking options for their Women’s Champions League campaign. City’s top scorer, Khadija “Bunny” Shaw, is set to depart, with Chelsea considered favorites for her signature. However, City are also expected to pursue a No. 9 striker in addition to Mead, whose partner, Vivianne Miedema, already plays for the Manchester club.
Mead played a decisive role in Arsenal’s second European title last May, delivering a clever pass that set up Stina Blackstenius for the only goal in the final against Barcelona in Lisbon.
Arsenal’s director of women’s football, Clare Wheatley, paid tribute to Mead: “Beth will go down in history as one of our best forwards and a legend of the club. She is such a special person and will always be welcome at Arsenal. I know our supporters will join me in wishing Beth happiness and success in her future endeavors.”
The 31-year-old, who celebrated her birthday on Saturday, was named player of the tournament and golden boot winner at Euro 2022 when England won their first major trophy. She was also voted BBC women’s footballer of the year and BBC sports personality of the year. An anterior cruciate ligament rupture sidelined her for the 2023 World Cup, four months after the Euros triumph.
Since returning, Mead has rediscovered her top form and was a key figure in the England team that retained the European Championship title in Switzerland last summer.
Mead first caught Arsenal’s attention after scoring 66 goals in 88 games for Sunderland across five seasons, netting 23 times in 23 appearances in her debut season in the second-tier FA Women’s Premier League. In 2015, she became the youngest player to win the WSL golden boot at age 20.
Arsenal also confirmed that Spain centre-back Laia Codina and Netherlands midfielder Victoria Pelova will leave this summer. Codina made 58 appearances and scored four goals since joining in 2023. Pelova, who arrived from Ajax in January 2023, has made 87 appearances but only five WSL starts and 15 substitute outings this season, with an ACL injury in the summer of 2024 ruling her out for most of the previous campaign.