FILE PHOTO: Venezuela's soccer player Deyna Castellanos smiles during a press conference at the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) headquarters in Luque, Paraguay, December 19, 2017. REUTERS/Jorge Adorno
(Reuters) - Manchester City have signed Venezuelan international Deyna Castellanos on a three-year contract from Spanish side Atletico Madrid, the Women's Super League club said on Friday.
The 23-year-old forward will officially join manager Gareth Taylor's squad after her contract with Atletico expires on July 1 and is set to be the first of many new recruits following the exits of a number of long-serving players.
England internationals Lucy Bronze, Georgia Stanway and Jill Scott along with Scotland's Caroline Weir have all left the club, while England goalkeeper Karen Bardsley announced her retirement last month.
"We're thrilled to have Deyna on board - she is a player we have admired for a long time," Taylor said. "She has a real hunger and desire to be highly successful on the pitch and we're very much looking forward to working with her over the coming years."
Before signing for Atletico in 2020, Castellanos played for Florida State University and was nominated for FIFA's Best Women's Player of the Year award at the age of 18 alongside Carli Lloyd and Leike Martens.
"It is a huge move for myself in my career," Castellanos said. "I believe that this club will help improve me as a player, and I hope I can help Manchester City too."
(Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
