Aston Villa sign Lily Murphy on a season-long loan from Manchester City as Natalia Arroyo continues strengthening her squad ahead of the new Women’s Super League campaign.
The 20-year-old forward arrives with senior WSL experience and has also represented England at youth level.
Manchester City have confirmed Murphy will spend the 2026/27 campaign with Villa as she looks to secure more regular senior football.
The young attacker broke into City’s first-team squad during the 2024/25 season and gained experience both domestically and in the Women’s Champions League.
Murphy’s progress was subsequently interrupted by a shoulder injury, but she returned to action last season and has remained involved with England’s youth sides.
England included Murphy in their Women’s Under-20 squad earlier this year, underlining the potential Villa are adding to Arroyo’s attacking options.
Aston Villa sign Lily Murphy as women’s rebuild continues
Murphy becomes another young option for Arroyo as Villa prepare for an expanded 14-team WSL campaign.
She can operate across the forward line and gives Villa additional pace and directness in attacking areas.
The move also continues a busy summer of recruitment.
ReadAstonVilla previously looked at Villa Women’s squad rebuild after the arrivals of Justine Kielland and Amalie Vangsgaard, with Arroyo reshaping her options ahead of her first full campaign.
For Murphy, the loan provides an opportunity to turn promising spells at Manchester City into regular WSL minutes.
City have retained control of one of their highly-rated young forwards, while Villa gain a player with significant development potential without committing to a permanent transfer.
Aston Villa sign Lily Murphy at a point when the forward needs consistent senior football, and a productive season at Villa Park could prove beneficial for both clubs.
Verified internal links used
Villa Women Season Ticket Deadline Hits As WSL Expands To 14
Published: 14 July 2026
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Aston Villa Women Season Ticket Deadline Lands With WSL Set For 14-Team Era
14 July 2026
This is outside the preferred 24–48-hour window, but it is the closest relevant current-cycle Villa Women article I could verify. It covers Arroyo’s squad rebuild and the earlier arrivals of Kielland and Vangsgaard.
No sufficiently relevant Villa Women internal article from the last 24–48 hours was available.
