Manchester United Women have confirmed the signing of Swedish right-back Hanna Lundkvist.

The Athletic reported earlier this month that the club was pursuing Lundkvist, alongside a deal for Bayern Munich forward Lea Schuller. Lundkvist will officially join United on January 1 and has signed a contract until June 2029.

The 23-year-old announced her departure from NWSL club San Diego Wave, who she joined in February 2024, on social media following the end of her contract. Lundkvist signed a one-year deal with the Wave with a mutual option, which was activated for the 2025 season, but she was keen on a return to Europe to be closer to home.

Other clubs, including fellow Women’s Super League (WSL) side Tottenham Hotspur were interested in the defender.

“I am really excited to be here; Manchester United is a club with an amazing history,” Lundkvist said, via the United website. “You can feel how much they have grown in the last few years, competing in one of the strongest leagues in the world and performing in the Champions League.

“Speaking with Marc and the coaches confirmed all of the great things I have heard about the culture of the team here. I cannot wait to get started and help the group to achieve more success.”

In 2025, Lundkvist made 26 appearances for the Wave, who finished sixth in the NWSL regular season before losing to the Portland Thorns in the first round of the post-season. She was also part of the squad that won the World Sevens small-sided event in Fort Lauderdale earlier in December.

Forward Schuller is also of interest to United (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

Schuller joined Bayern in 2022 on a long-term contract, which expires in the summer. The 28-year-old has scored 103 goals in 179 appearances for the seven-time Frauen-Bundesliga champions since joining in 2020. This season, she has registered four goals and four assists in 10 league appearances.

United, competing in the league phase of the Champions League for the first time, have had a very strong campaign and secured their place in the play-offs with four wins from six matches. They will face Atletico Madrid in February in the two-legged play-off and — if they win — will play Bayern in the next round. If she joins United, Schuller would be eligible to face Bayern as UEFA rules state after the completion of the league phase and before the start of the knockout phase, a club can register a maximum of three new eligible players for the remaining matches in the current competition.

United’s squad has felt the strain of a more congested playing schedule and are in desperate need of reinforcements.

Manager Marc Skinner called for an “aggressive” January transfer window, echoing his message at the conclusion of the summer window. He would have liked to have recruited two more players, one at right-back and one in the forward line, in the summer but they could not get deals over the line.

Right-back was a key priority after they did not replace Aoife Mannion, putting huge reliance on Canada international Jayde Riviere. In terms of forwards, United have 37-year-old Rachel Williams, who made her first start this season against OL Lyonnes on December 10, as a back-up option to Melvine Malard and Elisabeth Terland. Lundkvist, and potentially Schuller, should help.