The world of women’s football has witnessed a groundbreaking transfer as USA defender Naomi Girma is set to join Chelsea on a long-term deal. This move is poised to become the most expensive transfer in the history of women’s football, with the fee expected to be around £900,000 ($1.1 million). This surpasses the previous record of £685,000 paid by Bay FC for Racheal Kundananji in February 2024. The transfer is also expected to make the 24-year-old Girma the first million-dollar player in women’s football.
Chelsea, the current Women’s Super League champions, secured Girma’s signature after a competitive tussle with French club Lyon. Girma is widely considered to be one of the best players in the world. She will be leaving San Diego Wave, currently managed by former Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall, to become manager Sonia Bompastor’s first signing during the January transfer window. Chelsea had identified Girma as a priority target for this transfer window, particularly following an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury to their center-back Kadeisha Buchanan.
Chelsea is currently leading the WSL table, with a seven-point advantage over Arsenal and has also advanced to the knockout rounds of the Women’s Champions League. Prior to this, Chelsea had signed Levante striker Mayra Ramirez in January the previous year for a British record £384,000, with the possibility of an additional £42,600 in add-ons.
The deal between Chelsea and San Diego Wave for Girma is reportedly around £890,000 ($1.1 million), further solidifying its status as a record-breaking deal. This breaks the previous record of £695,000 ($860,000) when Racheal Kundananji moved to Bay FC from Madrid CFF. Girma is scheduled to have a medical in London later this week, and is set to become Sonia Bompastor’s first January signing. Despite reporting for San Diego’s pre-season training, this could be her last session with the club under new management, Jonas Eidevall.
Girma has made 44 appearances for the USA national team, winning gold with Team USA at the 2024 Olympic Games. She was also named the US Soccer Female Player of the Year in 2023. Chelsea’s interest in Girma is well-documented, with several sources suggesting she is top of their list. The club needs a central defender after the injury to Kadeisha Buchanan. Manager Emma Hayes described Girma as “the best defender I’ve ever seen,” highlighting her immense talent.
While Chelsea is a front-runner, both Lyon and Arsenal have also shown interest in Girma. Lyon, owned by businesswoman Michele Kang, had even signed Elma Junttila Nelhage earlier in the transfer window. Arsenal has been monitoring Girma for some time, and are also interested in acquiring her. The transfer has several challenges, not least the transfer fee required by San Diego Wave. Jonas Eidevall, the new San Diego Wave manager, would not want to lose a player of Girma’s caliber.
Since Eidevall’s new position, Wave has already let go of Jaedyn Shaw, who moved to North Carolina Courage in exchange for $300,000 in allocation money, $150,000 in interleague transfer fees and international roster spots. The current record transfer fee in women’s football is held by Racheal Kundananji, who moved to Bay FC from Madrid CFF for $860,000. Girma won the NWSL Defender of the Year awards for both 2022 and 2023, but missed out in 2024 to Emily Sans. Seb Salazar described Naomi Girma as one of the best defenders in the game. The potential transfer fee for Girma is speculated to exceed $1 million, making her the first woman to reach this milestone in football.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cqjv74w2l8po
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/36996/13294210/naomi-girma-transfer-chelsea-women-agree-world-record-fee-for-san-diego-wave-defender
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/43436003/chelsea-lead-arsenal-lyon-race-sign-naomi-girma-sources
