United States women’s national team star defender Naomi Girma looks set to become the most expensive women’s player in history. Women’s Super League giants Chelsea are closing in on the most expensive women’s transfer ever and pay San Diego Wave FC $1.1 million, per The Athletic.
Girma, 24, will surpass Bay FC’s Racheal Kundananji who previously held the highest transfer fee in women’s soccer with a $787,600 move from Madrid CFF.
The $1.1 million price tag for Girma is warranted as she’s arguably the best center back in the world.
Naomi Girma to Chelsea set to be most expensive women’s transfer
Naomi Girma is headed to Chelsea from the San Diego Wave for a $1.1M transfer fee, per @itsmeglinehan
She becomes the woman with a transfer fee of over $1M pic.twitter.com/EPmBgD0TqS— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 21, 2025
Chelsea are closing in on the signing of San Diego Wave centre-back Naomi Girma for a world-record fee, sources told ESPN.
The transfer fee would see Girma become the first player to break the $1 million mark in the women's game pic.twitter.com/OCpkPyXvso— ESPN (@espn) January 22, 2025
Girma’s contract with San Diego runs until 2026, however Chelsea don’t intend to wait a year to sign the American star and are willing to splurge for her talents. The Blues need another center back after Kadeisha Buchanan tore her ACL in November.
Should Girma make the move over the pond, she’ll join two fellow USWNT players in London. U.S. forwards Catarina Macario and Mia Fishel both play for Chelsea with the latter recovering from an ACL injury she suffered in February 2024.
Girma was the first pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft and was named the league’s Defender of the Year for 2022 and 2023. She won Rookie of the Year for 2022.
Girma has been instrumental for the USWNT’s success as she led the defense to three titles in 2024. Her trophy cabinet saw an Olympic gold medal, a SheBelieves Cup and Concacaf W Gold Cup added.
She’s lifted two pieces of silverware with San Diego winning the 2024 NWSL Challenge Cup and 2023 NWSL Shield.
ESPN ranked Girma as the second-best player in the world in their top 50 women’s players of 2024 rankings behind Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmatí.
Girma is worth every penny.