The latest story to come from the transfer rumour mill has sent shockwaves throughout the women's football community. Arsenal and Lyon are reportedly in talks over a summer swap deal.
According to The Guardian, the seven-time European champions are looking to ship out striker Nikita Parris in exchange for Vivianne Miedema.
Several rumours have surrounded the Dutch international's future in North London, with the French giants being the main club linked with her name. Arsenal endured a tough 2020/21 Women's Super League season, but still managed to secure Champions League football next term. However, this recent news indicates that Miedema is perhaps ready for a new chapter in her career.
GiveMeSport Women looks at the potential summer switch and analyses whether it would be a fair deal for both parties.
Women's Super League stats
Before her move to France, Parris was one of the WSL's most iconic players. The 27-year-old started her career at Everton before moving to Manchester City in 2016. She tallied a total of 33 goals in 59 appearances for the Mancunian side, establishing herself as one of England's most clinical strikers.
In the 2018/19 season, Parris netted 19 goals in as many games and became the WSL's highest ever goalscorer, overtaking Chelsea legend Eniola Aluko. Her record has only recently been beaten, after Ellen White set a new benchmark before, unsurprisingly, Miedema went on to knock it out of the park.
Since her move from Bayern Munich in 2017, Miedema has established herself as one of the best strikers the WSL has ever seen. The 24-year-old is constantly involved in the discussion over the world's best players and looking at her stats, this is hardly surprising.
Setting a new WSL all-time goalscoring record, Miedema boasts a phenomenal 60 goals in 67 appearances. She also holds the record for most league goals scored for a single club. In the 2018/19 season, the Netherlands international netted 22 times in 20 appearances, again writing her name in history as the player with the most goals in one campaign – a record which is still yet to be bettered.
International status
Both players are huge names for their respective countries. Miedema is as clinical on the world stage as she is domestically, with 71 senior goals in 95 appearances for the Netherlands.
Parris has 50 caps for England and has scored 15 times in her senior career so far. She was also part of the team that won the 2019 SheBelieves Cup and played a big part in the Lionesses' most recent World Cup run in France.
Miedema pips Parris' international accolade count thanks to her role in Holland's 2017 European Championship title and their silver medal finish in the 2019 World Cup.
In terms of international status, the two are essentially on par and have both gained invaluable experience on the biggest stage in the world.
2020/21 season stats
Despite Arsenal's sticky season, Miedema was still the star of the show. The Gunners managed to pull back their performances towards the end of the campaign and secure Champions League football, with the Dutch striker at the heart of their attack.
In 22 WSL appearances, the 24-year-old netted 18 times and assisted a further five goals. Arsenal's next highest scorers behind Miedema were Caitlin Foord (10) and Jill Roord (7), highlighting the influence the forward continues to have for the Gunners.
Miedema is so important that she ranked fifth in the world during the 2019 Ballon d'Or awards, finishing behind Ada Hegerberg, Alex Morgan, Lucy Bronze and winner Megan Rapinoe.
For Lyon, Parris has been flourishing despite limited time in the starting lineup. In her debut season for the French outfit, the Lioness netted eight times in 15 appearances, ten of which were starts. She has bettered her goalscoring form this time round and is Lyon's top scorer for the season, with 11 goals in 12 starts and 19 league appearances overall.
If she holds this lead, she will be the first player in six seasons to top the Lyon charts that isn't Hegerberg.
Parris also notched up two goals and one assist in six Champions League appearances, before Lyon took a shock early exit from the competition.
The two strikers are very similar when it comes to goalscoring stats and international pedigree, but the real questions lie in what happens after the move, should it materialise? Would Nikita Parris suit Arsenal's playing style? Will Vivianne Miedema be guaranteed game time at Lyon? Only time will tell...