Chelsea Women sign Spain U-23 midfielder Julia Bartel from Barcelona | OneFootball

Julia Bartel Holgado warming up from Spain U-23s. (Leiting Gao / SPP)

Chelsea have signed 20-year-old Spanish youth international midfielder Julia Bartel from Barcelona until summer 2027, with the option of a further year.

She played for Barcelona since 2019 and has captained both club and country, winning the Spanish second division with the B team last season.

When Spain won the U-20 World Cup in 2022, she was named in the team of the tournament and also helped her country to success at the UEFA U-19 Euros last summer.

Bartel told chelseafc.com: ‘I am very happy to be here at Chelsea. It’s one of the biggest clubs in Europe and I am very excited to be part of this club.’

General manager Paul Green added: ‘Julia is a top young player, who is technically excellent and has good pedigree coming through at Barcelona and the Spanish international youth teams.

‘She has good leadership skills for someone at a young age and we look forward to seeing her develop in the upcoming years.’

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