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According to Grant Wahl, the Bayern Munich Frauen are making a late push against Olympique Lyon for Stanford player Catarina Macario.
Last week, Macario announced that she was turning pro and things have escalated quickly since that point. Lyon, of course, is one of the pre-eminent powers in women’s club soccer, but Bayern Munich is pushing steadily into that realm.
Macario is considered one of the top young players in the world and is bypassing the NWSL for a chance to prove her mettle in Europe:
Catarina Macario is finalizing a 2.5-year deal with European champion Lyon, per sources, but Bayern Munich is making a late push. Signing with an NWSL team is not in the picture, but her rights may still be drafted. She’s in USWNT camp & expecting FIFA eligibility approval soon. https://t.co/Z7A2oRE1K3
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) January 11, 2021
Our sister site, All for XI, wrote up Macario’s announcement last week and included a highlight reel of her feats on the pitch. Macario’s interest in Europe over the NWSL was broken down succinctly by Stephanie Yang:
Europe would certainly be a key destination for Macario if she were looking for a significantly larger payday than what a lot of NWSL clubs could offer, although with NWSL’s recent rules around paying players above the salary cap using allocation money, she could potentially find a competitive six-figure contract in the US as well. However, she might want to avoid the NWSL’s draft system entirely in order to approach whatever club she does want to join from a position of strength, transferring in after playing abroad.
Macario is currently in camp with the United States women’s national team.