Chelsea Women midfielder Melanie Leupolz has signed a new deal with the club after returning from maternity leave. The 28-year-old, who gave birth to her first child in October, is currently reintegrating into the first team. After Sophie Ingle renewed her contract with the club at the end of December, Leupolz is the second Chelsea midfielder to make a recent commitment to the team.
“Chelsea was my favorite club when I was leaving Bayern, and I wanted to join. The fact that it worked out and that my time here has been so special shows how lucky I was,” Chelsea Women midfielder Melanie Leupolz said. “I played for the first one and a half years, but I still feel like I have more to give, so I wanted to extend. My main goal is to win the Champions League, and I want to play in more games with the squad and have more chances to win championships.”
Leupolz joined the Blues in 2020 after spending six years with Bayern Munich in the Frauen-Bundesliga, where she won two league championships. She has two Women’s FA Cups, two Women’s Super League titles, and one League Cup while playing for Chelsea. Leupolz also assisted Chelsea to the Champions League final in her first season by scoring an important goal against her previous team Bayern.
“We are happy that Melanie’s contract has been renewed after she returned from maternity leave,” general manager Paul Green said. “Melly, who was instrumental in our success during her initial 18 months with the club, will almost be like a new signing this month as she returns to the squad. In the next years, we hope to build on her achievement by seeing her again in a blue shirt.”
Bethany England completed a British-record transfer from Chelsea to Tottenham earlier in the January transfer window. The trade, which reportedly cost £250,000, surpassed the prior high, which was set in 2021 by Lauren James’ £200,000 transfer from Manchester United to Chelsea.
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