Manchester City Sign Carlotta Wamser from Bayer Leverkusen

Manchester City have moved again in the transfer market, sealing the signing of German full-back Carlotta Wamser from Bayer Leverkusen on a four-year deal.

The 22-year-old arrives as a versatile option for the WSL champions, comfortable on either flank at left-back or right-back, and already capped 14 times by Germany. She joined Leverkusen from Eintracht Frankfurt on a free transfer in July 2025 and has risen quickly through the national-team ranks after starring in Germany’s youth system, including lifting the Under-17 European Championship title in 2019.

This is City’s third major addition of the summer, following the arrivals of defender Niamh Charles from Chelsea and forward Beth Mead from Arsenal. On paper, it looks like depth. In reality, it feels like necessity.

City are heading into their title defence with a growing injury list. Charles is among the absentees, joined by Grace Clinton, Vivianne Miedema, Jade Rose and Laura Wienroither. The champions open at home to Birmingham City on Sunday, and Wamser’s signing lands as a timely boost rather than a luxury.

Her first impressions of Manchester have clearly hit the right note.

“I had a perfect welcome here and I already feel very good here and I look forward to my time here in Manchester,” she said, outlining exactly why she chose this move. “The English league is the best league in the world and Manchester City is one of the best clubs in the world.

“I feel like I need the next step for my career and I feel that I can develop as a player here. And I like the challenge as well, so I think it's the perfect step for me right now.”

Inside the club, there is a sense that landing a player of her profile underlines where City see themselves in the women’s game.

City director of football Therese Sjogran said: “We are delighted to welcome Carlotta to the club. She is a player we've admired for some time and know she will bring energy, passion and a willingness to learn to the team.

“For such a young, exciting talent to trust us with the next step of her career is something we feel conveys a strong message of what we are building here.”

City now head into the new campaign with a fresh injection of pace and aggression in the full-back areas. The question is simple: how quickly can Wamser turn promise into Premier League authority for the reigning champions?