On the final day of the Women’s Super League (WSL) summer transfer window, Atlético Madrid rejected a bid of over £500,000 from Manchester City for Spain midfielder Fiamma Benítez. Manchester City, who had recently won the WSL title, were looking to strengthen their attacking midfield options ahead of the 11pm BST deadline on Thursday. This came amid concerns about the availability of their star player, Vivianne Miedema, who is expected to be out for the rest of 2026 due to a knee injury. Atlético, however, consider Benítez a vital player and a future star for Spain’s national team, and were not willing to let her leave. Following the failed approach for Benítez, Manchester City turned their attention to another target: Ornella Vignola, a Spain international who plays for Everton and can operate in midfield or on the wing. A bid of around £400,000 was reportedly made, but Everton turned it down. They felt they wouldn’t have enough time to replace Vignola if she left and also viewed her as an important player for their team under manager Scott Phelan. City also reportedly tried to sign Jennifer Echegini, a Nigerian midfielder from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), but the French club made it clear they would not sell her. In a separate move, PSG agreed to sell defender Élisa De Almeida to Arsenal for a fee just over £500,000. However, they were unwilling to lose two key players in one day, which likely influenced their decision to keep Echegini. Meanwhile, Manchester City did manage to complete one deadline-day deal by signing Anna Moorhouse on loan from Orlando Pride until the end of January. The move added depth to City’s goalkeeping options after Khiara Keating joined Liverpool on a free transfer in July. Despite the unsuccessful attempts to secure a midfielder, Manchester City had a generally positive summer transfer period. They retained Khadija Shaw, the WSL’s Golden Boot winner, with a new contract, which was a major signing. The team is set to begin their WSL title defense against promoted Birmingham City on Sunday. Additionally, the club, along with Chelsea and Arsenal, will learn their Women’s Champions League group stage opponents on Friday at 11am BST.