Barcelona confirm Ellie Roebuck signing following Man City departure

Barcelona have confirmed the signing of England goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck on a free transfer following the expiration of her contract at Manchester City.

Roebuck joined the Blues from Sheffield United at the age of 15, signing her first professional contract with the club in 2018. She went on to register more appearances than any other goalkeeper during City’s professional era, with her 62 clean sheets in all competitions bettered only by Karen Bardsley.

She appeared to drop down the pecking order at the club last season following the emergence of teenage sensation Khiara Keating. The 24-year-old later revealed that she had suffered a stroke earlier in the campaign, though fortunately there was no lasting damage to her brain function or vision.

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She will link up with England teammates Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh at Barcelona, who won the quadruple this term. She joins a goalkeeping unit that also features Spain’s World Cup-winning shot-stopper Catalina Coll, with her deputy, Sandra Paños, set to depart this summer.

During her time at City, Roebuck won three FA Cups and three League Cups, as well as being part of England’s squads for the 2022 Euros and the 2023 World Cup. She won the WSL’s Golden Glove in 2019-20.

Confirming her decision to leave the club last month, she said: “I’ve met so many great people along the way and it’s going to be really different and strange come next season. I feel like I’ve achieved what I wanted to achieve her and I’ve enjoyed every second of it.”