Chelsea lead Arsenal, Lyon in race to signal Naomi Girma – sources

Chelsea are main the race to signal San Diego Wave centre-back Naomi Girma, whereas Arsenal and Lyon are additionally within the United States girls’s nationwide staff star, sources have instructed ESPN.

Girma, 24, is beneath contract till 2026 with the NWSL aspect, so any deal will want a sizeable switch price. One supply instructed ESPN it might develop into the primary $1 million switch in girls’s soccer.

Girma is among the highest rated defenders of this present technology and was instrumental in serving to the USWNT obtain gold on the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Supervisor Emma Hayes stated Girma is “the very best defender I’ve ever seen. Ever. I’ve by no means seen a participant nearly as good as her within the again.”

Chelsea supervisor Sonia Bompastor has admitted she is trying to bolster their choices at centre-back following an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) harm to Canadian defender Kadeisha Buchanan, and several other sources have instructed ESPN Girma is prime of their wishlist.

Bompastor’s former membership Lyon, owned by businesswoman Michele Kang, has additionally expressed curiosity within the centre-half regardless of penning a cope with Swedish defender Elma Junttila Nelhage earlier within the switch window.

In the meantime, Arsenal, who’ve had their eye on Girma for fairly a while, have additionally expressed curiosity in bringing the centre-back on board, one other supply instructed ESPN.

There will probably be a number of obstacles, although, not least the switch price required to prize one of many world’s greatest gamers away from San Diego Wave. Former Arsenal supervisor Jonas Eidevall, San Diego Wave’s incoming supervisor, could be reluctant to lose a participant of Girma’s calibre whereas the staff are beneath new possession, after the franchise was taken over by the Leichtman-Levine Household in October.

Wave have already parted methods with Jaedyn Shaw since Eidevall’s tenure started final week. The 20-year-old ahead moved to North Carolina Braveness in change for $300,000 in allocation cash and $150,000 in intra-league switch charges, together with a 2025 and 2026 worldwide slot to San Diego.

The present world file switch price in girls’s soccer is held by Rachel Kundananji who transferred to Bay FC from Madrid CFF for $860,000. Given Girma’s expertise, it’s possible her switch price would wish to surpass the present file to make it worthwhile for the franchise.

Girma gained NWSL Defender of the Yr for each 2022 and 2023, however missed out in 2024 to Emily Sans.