Chelsea on verge of signing Naomi Girma for world record fee: Report

The Blues seem set to make a world record transfer after reaching an agreement with the San Diego Wave.

According to reports, Chelsea and the San Diego Wave have reached an agreement for the Blues to sign USWNT star Naomi Girma in a record deal.

Given that the San Diego Wave and Chelsea FC have reportedly negotiated a women’s soccer transfer benchmark cost of $1.1 million for the USWNT player, Naomi Girma may be on her way to Stamford Bridge.

According to reports, Chelsea and San Diego have “agreed to terms” for the Blues to sign the gold medal-winning centre-back. The transfer of one of the top defenders in the world has been the subject of conjecture for more than a week. The $1.1 million fee would mark the first time a women’s soccer player has ever been purchased for $1 million or more.

Chelsea, Arsenal, and Lyon were all considered as possible destinations for Girma last week, but ESPN stated that Chelsea were the front-runner. Although it hasn’t been finalized, sources indicate that the transaction is close.

The San Diego Wave selected Girma as their first pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft. Since then, she has been with the Wave, also playing for the USWNT and most recently taking home the gold at the Olympics in Paris.

The NC Courage recently acquired promising young talent Jaedyn Shaw from the Wave, who have been rebuilding. Additionally, the 24-year-old was selected as the 2023 US Soccer Female Player of the Year.

Girma, who was selected first overall in the 2022 NWSL draft, has won two NWSL Defender of the Year awards since joining the San Diego Wave. She played for the Wave team that took home the 2023 NWSL Shield.

Meanwhile, Chelsea lead Arsenal by seven points at the top of the Women’s Super League standings and have advanced to the Women’s Champions League knockout stages.

Kadeisha Buchanan, their centre-back, has been sidelined since November due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

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