Chelsea Women have agreed a world-record fee with San Diego Wave for defender Naomi Girma.
A deal of around £890,000 ($1.1m) has been settled on between the two clubs, breaking the current record of £695,000 ($860,000) when Racheal Kundananji moved to Bay FC from Madrid CFF.
The centre-back is expected to have a medical in London later this week and become Blues manager Sonia Bompastor’s first January signing at the club.
The transfer comes after Chelsea signed Levante striker Mayra Ramirez in January last year for a British-record fee of £384,000, plus up to £42,600 in add-ons.
Girma reported for San Diego’s first day of pre-season training on Tuesday but it appears it could have been her last session with the club, which former Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall manages.
USA international Girma has made 44 appearances for her country and won gold with Team USA at the 2024 Olympic Games.
The 24-year-old was also named as the US Soccer Female Player of the Year in 2023.
Chelsea sit top of the Women’s Super League table with a seven-point lead over Arsenal and have qualified for the knockout stages of the Women’s Champions League.
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