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Chelsea are set to make USA defender Naomi Girma the first $1m transfer in women’s football after agreeing a world-record fee with San Diego Wave.
Girma is expected to join the reigning Women’s Super League champions this week in a deal worth $1.1m (£889,000) – more than double the previous British record fee.
The transfer would also eclipse the current world record of $860,000 (£695,000) paid by American side Bay FC to Madrid CFF for Zambia striker Racheal Kundananji last year.
Former Chelsea manager Emma Hayes called Girma, 24, “the best defender I’ve ever seen” during the US Women’s team’s march to Olympic gold at Paris 2024.
The centre-back, who has a degree in computational linguistics from Stanford University, has enjoyed a rapid rise since turning professional in 2022.
Girma was first pick in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) draft, and was named rookie of the year and defender of the year in her debut season with San Diego Wave.
She made her senior international debut that year and has since earned 44 caps for the US Women’s National Team (USWNT), now coached by Hayes.
As well as Olympic gold, she has helped the USWNT win the Concacaf Women’s Championship and W Gold Cup in the space of just three years.
Girma world record fee a show of strength for Chelsea
The classy defender is expected to fill in for Chelsea centre-back Kadeisha Buchanan, who suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in November.
Girma’s signing is a major show of strength from the Blues, who sit top of the WSL after winning 10 of their first 11 games of the season and are in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Chelsea’s previous record transfer fee was the £384,000, rising to a possible £426,000, they paid Spanish side Levante for Colombia striker Mayra Ramirez 12 months ago.
The move is also a sign of the pulling power of the WSL, which has the biggest TV contract of any women’s domestic league in world football.
