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          Arsenal's Vivianne Miedema signs contract extension, rejects Barcelona and PSG interest

          • ESPN
          May 20, 2022, 08:38 AM

          Arsenal and Netherlands forward Vivianne Miedema has rejected interest from Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain to sign a new contract with the north London club.

          The Women's Super League 2021-22 Golden Boot runner-up had reportedly held talks with several top European clubs with her contract due to expire this summer. However, Arsenal have announced that she has opted to stay in England.

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          "I think the best thing about football is to build something with a team and people around you that you really want to belong to," Miedema said in a statement on her agent's website.

          "I feel like I have that at Arsenal. I feel that winning titles with Arsenal will mean a lot more to me than winning them with any other club right now. And that, of course, is what I hope to achieve with Arsenal."

          Arsenal signed Miedema in 2017 from Bayern Munich and the 25-year-old has gone on to break multiple records in the WSL. She has scored 117 goals in 144 appearances, including 23 in 39 appearances during the 2021-22 season.

          She is the top scorer in the league's history and in March became the first player in WSL history to reach 100 goal involvements.

          She is also the only player ever to score against every team she has faced in the league.

          Miedema won the WSL's Golden Boot in 2018-19 and 2019-20 and has been a runner-up to Chelsea's Sam Kerr in the last two seasons.

          She made her senior debut for Netherlands in 2013 in a World Cup qualifier against Albania and has gone on to become the country's all-time top scorer.

          "Viv is a stellar talent and a hugely important player for this team, so it's fantastic news that she is staying with us," Arsenal head coach Jonas Eidevall said in a statement.

          "As a club, our ambition is to win titles and compete at the highest level -- we know Viv's own ambitions are the same, and together we will give everything to achieve that."