Chelsea have signed the USA winger Alyssa Thompson from Angel City for an upfront fee understood to be just shy of $1.5m (£1.1m), which sources say could climb close to a world-record sum with potential add-ons, on a dramatic transfer deadline day in the Women’s Super League.
Thompson is understood to have put pen to paper on a five-year contract with just over an hour to spare before the window shut at 11pm. The 20-year-old completed a medical earlier on Thursday in London, after boarding a flight from Los Angeles late on Wednesday night, amid extensive negotiations between the two clubs.
The current world record transfer fee for a women’s footballer stands at the $1.5m that was paid by Orlando Pride last month to sign Lizbeth Ovalle from the Mexican side Tigres, which eclipsed the £1m move by Arsenal to sign Olivia Smith from Liverpool in July. It is understood Chelsea’s move for Thompson would not be a world-record fee upfront but could rise to be so with add-ons.
It came at the end of a busy day in the WSL window, with the promoted side London City Lionesses confirming the signing of the Barcelona youngster Lucía Corrales. They are understood to have met the release clause for the Spain youth international in the region of €500,000 (£435,000). But their attempt to sign the France midfielder Grace Geyoro from Paris Saint-Germain is understood to have gone down to the wire and by the deadline it was not clear whether any agreement was reached.
Elsewhere, Grace Clinton completed her move to Manchester City on a four-year deal, while her England teammate Jess Park moved in the other direction, to Manchester United, also on a four-year deal.
Clinton, saying goodbye to United’s fans in a statement on her Instagram account, said: “This has been a very difficult decision for me because of the love I have for my teammates and for you, the fans. However, I feel the future of the club and I aren’t on the same page. For me personally, the next step is about growth. I want to continue to develop and learn.”
Liverpool had a productive deadline day, adding midfielder Emilia Szymczak on a season-long loan from Barcelona, signing the striker Beata Olsson from Kristianstads DFF for an undisclosed fee and securing a permanent deal for full-back Alejandra Bernabé from Chelsea, who returns after an initial loan spell last term. The Merseyside club also added the right-back Risa Shimizu on a season-long loan from Manchester City.
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Tottenham have signed the Norway forward Cathinka Tandberg from Hammarby for an undisclosed fee, while Leicester have made a flurry of late additions, including signing the Australia midfielder Emily van Egmond from Birmingham on a two-year deal.
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