FIRST £1 million transfer in women's football: Arsenal's move for Liverpool's Olivia Smith could create HISTORY

Smith scored seven goals last season for the Reds.

According to The Guardian, Arsenal have agreed to the first-ever £1 million transfer in women’s football after Liverpool approved a record-breaking offer for Canada forward Olivia Smith.

The 20-year-old will thus become the first female player in history to touch the £1 million mark. The same feat was attained in men’s football in 1979 when Trevor Francis moved from Birmingham City to Nottingham Forest.

Sources claim that the amount agreed upon by Arsenal and the Reds is more than the US$1.1 million Chelsea paid in January to recruit American centre-back Naomi Girma, who at the time established a new women’s world record.

In her first season in the English game, Smith scored seven goals in 20 Women’s Super League games for the Reds, who placed seventh in the WSL last season. She was responsible for just under one-third of the team’s league goals during the season.

The youthful forward, who is capable of playing both as a winger and central striker, joined the Reds from Portuguese club Sporting CP in July 2024 for a club-record fee estimated to be slightly over £200,000.

She is believed to have several years left on her contract, but the Gunners are willing to pay a substantial amount to acquire her services.

According to reports, Liverpool first turned down many offers from other teams for Smith because they were judged unsatisfactory. However, thanks to the deal with the north London club, the Merseyside team will now get five times the amount they paid for Smith just a year ago.

Following their victory in the Women’s Champions League, the Gunners are looking to bolster and maintain their current form. Although they had already recruited left-back Taylor Hinds on a free transfer after her contract with the Reds expired and added Chloe Kelly from Manchester City on a free transfer, their acquisition of Smith signals a significantly larger financial commitment.

Before Girma joined Chelsea, the biggest transfer fee ever for a women’s player was reportedly $860,000. It was paid by Bay FC to sign the Zambian international Racheal Kundananji from Madrid CFF in 2024.

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