Chelsea Women have agreed to terms with the San Diego Wave for the transfer of U.S. women’s national team defender Naomi Girma for a record $1.1 million fee, according to sources briefed on the negotiations. As of Tuesday, the paperwork over the transfer and Girma’s contract at Chelsea is still in the negotiation process and not finalized. The 24-year-old is now set to become the first player to earn a transfer fee worth more than $1 million.

Girma is under contract at the Wave until 2026 which is why the deal requires a transfer fee.

The Wave declined to comment on Tuesday, and Chelsea did not reply to a request for comment.

The Wave released their preseason roster ahead of the team’s first training session on Tuesday, which included Girma. She reported to San Diego on the first day of training.

Girma is considered to be among the best defenders in the world and earned significant praise for her performances at the 2024 Paris Olympics, playing every minute as the USWNT won gold.

“She’s the best defender I’ve ever seen,” head coach Emma Hayes said after her side’s semifinal victory against Germany. “Ever.”

Girma had considerable European interest, including from Lyon — who had come to the table with a $1 million offer of their own. According to the sources briefed on the negotiations, Arsenal was not among the final contenders for Girma.

Girma joined the Wave as the first pick in the 2022 NWSL draft after playing for Stanford at the collegiate level. She has twice been named NSWL defender of the year and was part of the Wave side that won the NWSL Shield in 2023. The Wave were prepared to lose Girma for the 2025 season, having signed 17-year-old center back Trinity Armstrong out of the University of North Carolina to a three-year deal last week. One source briefed on negotiations said Girma had requested to move on from the Wave last season, much like midfielder Jaedyn Shaw who was recently traded to the North Carolina Courage.

The center back made her USWNT debut in April 2022 and has been capped 44 times at the international level. She did not attend the senior team’s January camp due to a minor calf injury.

Jonas Eidevall was appointed Wave head coach in January following Casey Stoney’s departure in June. The club’s president Jill Ellis, the former United States head coach, left her role in December to become chief football officer at FIFA.

Chelsea have been without key center back Kadeisha Buchanan since the Canada international suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in November.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

US Women's national team, San Diego Wave, Soccer, NWSL, UK Women's Football

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