USWNT's Girma completes record Chelsea transfer

Chelsea have confirmed the signing of United States women's national team defender Naomi Girma for a world-record fee on a long-term deal from the San Diego Wave.

The $1.1 million deal sees Girma become the first player to break the $1m mark in the women's game.

ESPN revealed on Jan. 16 that Chelsea were the leading contenders to sign Girma, with initial interest from Lyon and Arsenal, before confirming that the west London club had won the race for the 24-year-old's signature. It is understood that Arsenal were not among the final candidates.

The fee surpasses the previous record deal of $767,600, paid by NWSL side Bay FC to sign Zambia forward Racheal Kundananji from Madrid CFF in February 2024.

Girma was unveiled on the pitch at Stamford Bridge ahead of Chelsea's Women's Super League (WSL) victory over Arsenal on Sunday.

"I'm so happy and really excited to be here. It doesn't feel real," Girma said in a statement.

"There are a lot of things about Chelsea that made me want to come here -- the culture, the winning mentality, staff and players. It's a top environment to learn and grow in. Right now, that's what I'm looking to do. It was an easy choice for me."

Girma was instrumental in helping the USWNT achieve gold at the Paris Olympics last summer.

Former Chelsea manager and reigning USWNT coach Emma Hayes has said Girma is "the best defender I've ever seen. Ever. I've never seen a player as good as her in the back."

Girma was under contract with the NWSL's San Diego Wave until 2026. She has 44 caps and has scored twice for her country after debuting in 2022. In 2023, she was named U.S. Soccer women's player of the year.

The centre-back thanked San Diego, who selected her as the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft.

"San Diego Wave has been such an important part of my journey," Girma said in a statement. "I'll forever be thankful for the opportunities I've had to grow here and for the incredible relationships I've built with my teammates, the sporting staff, and our amazing fans. I'm especially grateful to ownership and Cami for supporting my dream of playing in Europe. San Diego will always hold a special place in my heart, and I wish nothing but the best for the team moving forward."

San Diego general manager Camille Ashton told ESPN that Girma made her preference for joining Chelsea clear and that the NWSL club will also benefit from the defender's move.

"Chelsea is where she wants to be," Ashton said. "We also, though, made it clear to [Chelsea] that in order for us to move her we have to make sure that from a business perspective and from a team side that we are getting what we need out of it as well, because she's obviously a big loss. And we were very clear that if that wasn't the case then we don't know if right now would be the window, or if it would be a next window. But she [Girma] really wanted to make a move this window, and ultimately we were able to secure a deal that made such sense for the club as well."

Chelsea are nine points clear at the top of the WSL table.

Information from ESPN's Tom Hamilton and Jeff Carlisle contributed to this report