Women’s Football Transfer Records: The Highest Fees Ever Paid

In 2025, women’s football saw transfer fees break records multiple times. Clubs like Chelsea, Arsenal, Orlando Pride, and the London City Lionesses each set new transfer benchmarks as spending increased rapidly. The fee Chelsea paid for Pernille Harder in 2020, once the highest ever, has since fallen outside the top 40 most expensive transfers.

Keira Walsh briefly claimed the top spot in 2022 when moving from Manchester City to Barcelona. Yet, even her record didn’t last long and was surpassed in 2025 when she returned to Chelsea in a deal worth more.

Top Transfers in Women’s Football History

• Racheal Kundananji (Madrid CFF to Bay FC): Paid $862,000 (£685,000) by Bay FC in early 2025. She scored 33 goals in 43 league games in Spain before moving to the NWSL expansion team.
• Keira Walsh (Barcelona to Chelsea): In January 2025, Chelsea reportedly paid around £460,000 ($572,000) initially, but add-ons pushed the total to €850,000 (£714,000/$884,000) by season’s end for one of the finest holding midfielders globally.
• Claudia Martinez (Club Olimpia to Washington Spirit): After an impressive Copa America scoring six goals, she joined Washington Spirit in January 2026 for $950,000, shortly after turning 18.
• Tarciane (Houston Dash to Lyon): Signed by Lyon in February 2025 for about $960,000 (£762,000), setting a record in French women's football.
• Croix Bethune (Washington Spirit to Kansas City Current): Traded for $1 million (£732,000) in February 2025, the midfielder earned NWSL Rookie and Midfielder of the Year honors in 2024.
• Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current to Bay FC): Joined Bay FC in February 2025 for $1.1 million (£805,000). She was key to Kansas City winning the NWSL Shield in 2025.
• Melvine Malard (Manchester United to Chelsea): Transferred in July 2026 with fees reported around £850,000 ($1.14 million), a club-record sale for Manchester United.
• Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave to Chelsea): The first player valued over $1 million, signed in January 2025 for £883,000 ($1.1 million). Known as one of the world’s top centre-backs, she won Olympic gold with the U.S. in 2024.
• Jaedyn Shaw (North Carolina Courage to Gotham FC): Transferred for $1.25 million (£909,000) in mid-2025, the highest NWSL club-to-club fee at that time.
• Olivia Smith (Liverpool to Arsenal): Arsenal paid over £1 million in July 2025, making Smith the first million-pound player in women’s football.
• Lizbeth Ovalle (Tigres to Orlando Pride): Signed in August 2025 for a record $1.5 million (£1.1 million), after interest from top European clubs.
• Alyssa Thompson (Angel City to Chelsea): Transferred in summer 2025 for a fee potentially reaching $2 million (£1.5 million), according to FIFA’s 2025 transfer report.
• Kerolin (Manchester City to Barcelona): Moved in 2026 for £1.25 million ($1.68 million), the third-biggest transfer in women's football history.
• Felicia Schroder (BK Häcken to Real Madrid): Completed in summer 2026 with reports valuing the transfer between €1.35m and €1.5m (£1.16m - £1.3m / $1.56m - $1.7m).
• Grace Geyoro (Paris Saint-Germain to London City Lionesses): Set a new world record in summer 2025 with a fee of €1.65m (£1.43m / $1.93m) as the club prepared for their top-flight debut.

Details Behind Recent Record Deals

Grace Geyoro's transfer drew considerable attention. Despite denials from the London City Lionesses regarding a world-record fee, multiple sources and FIFA's official report confirmed it as the largest international women's transfer in 2025. This surpassed deals involving Thompson, Ovalle, and Girma.

Alyssa Thompson's deal with Chelsea was initially reported near £1 million but may have risen to become the highest ever, though possibly still less than Ovalle's fee.

The rapid rise in transfer amounts highlights how competitive and financially ambitious women’s football clubs have become, with several players now moving for fees over the million-dollar mark.