The 10 most expensive WSL transfers of all time

13 Jul 2023 09:16 BST |
Updated: 11 Oct 2026 12:07 BST |
5 min read

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The Women’s Super League (WSL) is the female equivalent of the Premier League and it was established back in 2010, although the division didn’t actually begin until 2011.

Previously, the top flight of women’s football in England had been known as the FA Women’s Premier League National Division.

Unlike the 20 clubs that compete in the Premier League, there are only 14 teams in the WSL, with the side that finishes bottom suffering relegation to the WSL2, while the outfit that finishes 13th faces a relegation play-off against the runners-up of the second division.

Another vast difference between the Premier League and the WSL is the finances involved.

While the top flight of the men’s game possesses some of the richest owners in world sport, the WSL operates on a far smaller budget, which means that wages and transfer fees are significantly lower than in the Premier League.

For example, the Premier League record transfer stands at €145million, thanks to Alexander Isak and Enzo Fernandez’s moves to Liverpool and Manchester City respectively.

By comparison, Grace Geyoro is the WSL’s most expensive signing after the London City Lionesses shelled out €1.65m to sign her from Paris Saint-Germain in 2025.

The 10 most expensive WSL transfers of all time

10. Kelly Gago – €588,000 (from Everton to West Ham United, 2026

After submitting a transfer request in the 2026 January transfer window, France striker Kelly Gago finally secured a move away from Everton six months later.

However, after originally having her heart set on a move to PSG, Gago ended up joining Rita Guarino’s new-look West Ham United side in the summer of 2026.

Everton secured what they described as a “club-record sale” when offloading Gago – who scored 10 goals in 30 games for the Toffees – for a staggering €588,000.

9. Lisa Baum – €600,000 (from RB Leipzig to Arsenal, 2026

One of the most exciting young talents in world football, Arsenal fought off competition from a host of clubs to land Lisa Baum from RB Leipzig for €600,000.

A left-footed winger capable of playing on either flank, Baum created the eighth-most chances (40) in the Frauen-Bundesliga in 2025-26 – an impressive haul given Leipzig finished 10th.

8. Ellen Wangerheim – €700,000 (from Hammarby to Man Utd, 2026)

Man Utd snapped up talented Swedish forward Ellen Wangerheim off the back of a remarkable 2025 season for Hammarby.

Aged 21 at the time of her move, Wangerheim had netted 17 goals in the Damallsvenskan and a stunning 11 goals in six matches as Hammarby won the Swedish Cup.

Wangerheim – who set Man Utd back €700,000 in January 2026 – made 14 appearances in the second half of that season, failing to hit the target for the Red Devils.

7. Sam Coffey – €751,000 (from Portland Thorns to Man City, 2026)

Man City signed Portland Thorns captain Sam Coffey for a club-record €751,000 fee in January 2026 after she had impressed in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

A regular for the USWNT, the defensive midfielder became a starter for Man City towards the end of the 2025/26 season, helping them win their second WSL title under Andree Jeglertz.

6. Kadidiatou Diani – €800,000 (from Lyon to London City Lionesses, 2026)

Regarded as one of the best forwards in the world, London City loosened the purse strings when signing Kadidiatou Diani from Lyon for €800,000 in the summer of 2026.

Diani joined London City in a transfer window for the ages as Spain icons Alexia Putellas and Mapi Leon also moved to Bromley ahead of the 2026-27 WSL season.

5. Melvine Malard – €1m (from Man Utd to Chelsea, 2026)

Keen to bolster their forward line following the departure of legend Sam Kerr, Chelsea spent big to sign Melvine Malard from Man Utd in the summer of 2026.

A key player in helping United reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 2025-26, Malard scored 10 goals in 40 games for the Leigh Sports Village-based side.

Malard reunited with Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor following the move, having worked under her French compatriot at Lyon between 2017-18 and 2022-23.

4. Naomi Girma – €1.05m (from San Diego to Chelsea, 2025)

Naomi Girma broke the women’s transfer record when she joined Chelsea from the San Diego Wave in January 2025. The brilliant centre-back became the first woman in history to command a fee worth over €1m at the time.

Girma had been starring in the NWSL and for the USWNT for a number of years before Chelsea broke the bank to acquire her services.

While injuries have prevented Girma from making the impact she would have liked at Chelsea, she has still won three trophies for the club, including the WSL title in 2024-25.

3. Alyssa Thompson – €1.24m (from Angel City to Chelsea, 2025)

Forward Alyssa Thompson emerged as one of the most highly-rated prospects in American women’s soccer in the early 2020s. In 2023, Los Angeles-based Angel City paid a league-record fee to acquire the No.1 pick in the now-abolished NWSL draft.

Thompson had made her first-team debut for the USWNT as a 17-year-old in her senior year in high school, so it was no surprise that she eventually completed a major move to Europe.

In 2025, Chelsea paid an upfront fee believed to have been worth around €1.24m to sign her from Angel City. It is thought that bonuses can make her fee the largest ever paid for a women’s footballer.

2. Olivia Smith – €1.27m (from Liverpool to Arsenal, 2025)

Canada international Olivia Smith was signed by Liverpool from Sporting CP in 2024 and, just a year later, she was on the move again, joining Arsenal in a then-world record deal worth €1.27m.

The first woman to score at Anfield, Smith was named PFA Women’s Young Player of the Year in her sole season on Merseyside, which prompted Arsenal to spend big on the attacker.

Although 2025/26 proved a disappointing season for the Gunners, Smith scored as they won the inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup in February 2026.

1. Grace Geyoro – €1.65m (from PSG to London City Lionesses, 2025)

London City made a splash in the 2025 summer transfer window with several headline-grabbing signings, most notably the acquisition of PSG superstar Grace Geyoro.

A last-minute deal on Deadline Day, Geyoro’s arrival was the subject of lots of media speculation because her official fee was not disclosed. Reports suggested that it was a world-record sum of €1.65m, but London City dismissed the claim.

However, FIFA’s annual transfer report later listed Geyoro’s signing as the biggest deal of 2025, meaning that it must have been the biggest women’s transfer ever given that the record had previously been broken several times that year.

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Cameron Smith is a Digital Content Producer for FootballTransfers, having joined the team upon its inception in November 2020.

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