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, according to sources with knowledge of the negotiations. As of Tuesday, the paperwork regarding Girma’s transfer and contract at Chelsea is still being negotiated and has not been finalized. The 24-year-old is now set to become the first player to receive 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 Tuesday and Chelsea did not respond to a request for comment.
The Wave released its preseason roster ahead of the team’s first practice Tuesday, which included Girma. She showed up in San Diego on the first day of training.
Girma is considered one of the best defenders in the world and received widespread 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 team’s semifinal victory over Germany. “Never.”
Girma had considerable interest from Europe, including Lyon – who had come to the table with a million-dollar offer of their own. According to sources informed of the negotiations, Arsenal was not among the last contenders for Girma.
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Girma joined the Wave as the first overall pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft after playing for Stanford at the collegiate level. She was twice named NSWL Defender of the Year and was part of the Wave team that won the NWSL Shield in 2023. The Wave were prepared to lose Girma for the 2025 season, after signing center back from 17 years old Trinity Armstrong. the University of North Carolina agreed to a three-year contract last week. A source briefed on the negotiations said Girma requested to leave the Wave last season, as did midfielder Jaedyn Shaw who was recently traded to the North Carolina Courage.
The center back made his USWNT debut in April 2022 and has been capped 44 times at international level. She did not participate in the senior team’s January camp due to a minor calf injury.
Jonas Eidevall was named head coach of the Wave in January following the departure of Casey Stoney in June. Club president Jill Ellis, a former United States coach, left the role in December to become FIFA’s director of football.
Chelsea have been without centre-back Kadeisha Buchanan since the Canada international suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in November.
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(Photo: Brad Smith/Getty Images)
