NWSL side OL Reign announced it has acquired the rights to U.S. women's midfielder Rose Lavelle from the Washington Spirit.
The Reign gave up a first-round pick in the 2022 NWSL draft and $100,000 in allocation money with the understanding that Lavelle will be allowed to play outside of NWSL amid reports she is set to sign for Manchester City's women's team.
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Lavelle's USWNT teammate Sam Mewis recently joined City's WSL side.
A Reign statement read: "The agreement with Washington was made with the understanding that Lavelle is expected to sign an agreement to play outside the NWSL with immediate effect. As a result of the trade, OL Reign will control Lavelle's future playing rights in the NWSL."
Lavelle, 25, scored the second goal for the U.S. women in its 2019 World Cup victory over the Netherlands in a 2-1 victory.
"Rose is an incredible talent that we believe has all the attributes to be the best player in the world. While we would have loved to have Rose join our club today, she fits perfectly into our long-term vision for the squad," said OL Reign CEO Bill Predmore. "It was the vision of Jean-Michel [Aulas] and the support of OL that made this deal this possible for our club.
"We are willing to make the necessary short-term sacrifices, exercise the needed patience, and do whatever work is required to realize our goal of bringing Rose to OL Reign in the future."
Lavelle, who played in college for the University of Wisconsin and was the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NWSL draft, has scored 12 goals and added seven assists in 45 appearances for the national team.
