Barcelona confirm departure of Champions League hero Salma Paralluelo amid interest from Arsenal, Chelsea & Lyon

Barca had several players out of contract this summer, with the headline departures of Alexia Putellas, Mapi Leon and Ona Batlle all confirmed before the season was out, allowing the players to say goodbye to the fans. Paralluelo's situation, though, remained up in the air. Marc Vives, the club's director of women's football, confirmed on local radio station 3Cat in April that Barca wanted Paralluelo to stay and reports have emerged consistently over the last two months documenting those negotiations.

The stand-out display that the 22-year-old put on in the Champions League final then seemed to have a further impact. Watching the forward score two brilliant goals to ensure Barca would pick up a fourth UWCL title, taking the scoreline from 2-0 to 4-0 late on, it felt like a performance that could put top clubs on alert even more, and the manner in which interest in her appears to have ramped up since appears to have confirmed that suspicion.

According to The Athletic, Paralluelo's wage demands sit at £1 million a year, a number that Barca's offer did not meet. Despite continued discussions, the Blaugrana could not come to an agreement with the forward, with her departure from the club instead announced on Tuesday. A statement read: "FC Barcelona would like to thank Salma Paralluelo for her commitment, dedication and contribution during these four seasons wearing the Barca shirt. The club wishes her the best of luck in this new phase."

Paralluelo departs after four incredibly successful years in Catalunya, following her move to Barca from Villarreal in 2022. At that time, she was a raw but clearly talented 19-year-old, who had only recently committed full-time to football after enjoying success in athletics in her youth. A prolific season in the second tier with Villarreal caught the eye of many, with Barca winning the race for her signature in the end.

In the time since, Paralluelo has endured ups and downs. Her first season was promising, with 15 goals from 30 appearances in all competitions followed up with a breakout Women's World Cup, where her contributions were key in Spain winning the title for the first time. The season after that was even better, with 34 goals coming in just 36 appearances to earn her a third-placed finish in the Ballon d'Or voting.

However, while team success has continued throughout, with Paralluelo lifting 14 of the 16 major titles on offer in her four years at Barca, her individual numbers have dropped off. Injuries hit in 2024-25, then she netted just 12 goals this past season. Two of those, though, came in the Champions League final, to offer a reminder of the peaks that this 22-year-old can reach. She just needs to obtain that consistency over a long period of time.

So, where might Paralluelo be heading to try and achieve that? It's unclear at the moment where her final destination will be, as top clubs across Europe continue to pursue her. One club that appears to now be off the table, though, is Chelsea, after the Blues saw an offer rejected by the forward earlier this month. According to The Athletic, Chelsea were unwilling to meet Paralluelo's salary demands.

It's the third notable rejection that Sonia Bompastor's side have endured this summer, as their search for a centre forward goes on. The Blues have already seen Khadija Shaw choose to stay at Manchester City, rather than moving to London, and Felicia Schroder join Real Madrid, despite Chelsea putting in a world-record bid for the teenager. Paralluelo, who can play out wide or centrally, is now another name to be crossed off their striker wish list.

That leaves four main names in contention for Paralluelo's signature: Lyon, Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal and London City Lionesses, according to ARA.

Lyon know all too well what Paralluelo can do, after last month's Champions League final, while PSG are looking to bounce back from a disappointing campaign in which they crashed out early in Europe and didn't even reach the league title match in the French play-offs.

Arsenal are already being heavily linked with a move for Lisa Baum, the talented teenage forward at RB Leipzig who is going to cost a significant fee, as well as a striker in Selina Cerci, with Arseblog reporting this week that both deals are very close to completion. A move for Paralluelo would be a surprise on top of that.

London City, meanwhile, are already on the brink of bringing both Putellas and Leon to the club from Barca, and have announced the arrival of another big name in former England international Mary Earps. Michele Kang, the billionaire owner who also owns Lyon and the Washington Spirit, clearly has big plans for the English club and signing Paralluelo would be another massive statement.

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