- Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign Lionesses star Keira Walsh from Barcelona
- The £500,000 fee will mark a record for a English player in women’s football
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Chelsea have agreed a sensational deadline-day deal for England midfielder Keira Walsh.
The Blues are set to pay Barcelona a reported £500,000 for Walsh in yet another show of the current WSL champions’ intentions to further their winning record and pick up the Champions League for the first time in their history.
Widely considered one of the best midfielders in the world, Walsh has won back-to-back Champions League and Spanish League titles with the Catalan giants.
She will be eligible to play in the Champions League knockout rounds for Chelsea.
The 27-year-old, who left Manchester City for Barcelona for a then world record fee of £400,000 in 2022, has been keen on a return to England to be closer to family.
She is expected to have her medical in London today before the deal is completed ahead of the 11pm transfer window deadline this evening.
Chelsea have agreed a £500,000 deal to sign England midfielder Keira Walsh from Barcelona
Walsh played a pivotal role as Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses won Euro 2022 on home soil
Move comes just days after the club broke the women’s transfer record to sign USA defender Naomi Girma
A pivotal part of Sarina Wiegman’s Euros winning squad, Walsh also played a crucial role in England’s charge to the World Cup final in 2023.
Her injury during the group stages of the tournament was initially seen as a blow to the Lionesses’ hopes of advancing to the later rounds before she made an unexpectedly prompt return in the round of 16.
Walsh is the second high-profile signing made by Chelsea this transfer window, after the Blues broke the women’s world record for USA defender Naomi Girma – paying £890,000 to San Diego Wave for the centre-back.
Sonia Bompastor’s side are top of the table with a seven-point difference between them and second-placed Manchester United.
They finished top of their group in the Champions League and will discover their quarterfinal opponents following the draw on February 7.
