London City Lionesses sign Grace Geyoro for world record fee | OneFootball

London City Lionesses have broken the women’s football transfer record by signing Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Grace Geyoro for £1.4m.

The newly-promoted side have embarked on a major spending spree, signing 16 players permanently this summer as they aim to consolidate their place in the top flight.

The women’s transfer record has been beaten three times this summer, with Arsenal signing former Liverpool player Olivia Smith for £1m before £1.1m Orlando Pride paid Tigres UANL £1.1m for Mexico international Lizbeth Ovalle last month.

Geyoro, who has won 103 caps and scored 22 goals for France, joins experienced England forward Nikita Parris, former Manchester United captain Katie Zelem, Barcelona’s Jana Fernandez and Lyon’s Danielle van de Donk in moving to the London club ahead of the new season.

Manager Jocelyn Precheur, who previously worked with Geyoro at PSG, described her as “one of the best players on the planet”.

“She has a wonderful career but she is still underestimated,” he said. “I immediately knew it would be such a good opportunity for the club to have such a good player.

“We have a lot of young and talented players. The signing of a player like her is important for the balance of the squad.

“She is experienced and knows how I want to play. She knows the game perfectly so she will help the team a lot and how we want to play.

“I'm not surprised we had to pay a huge fee to have this sort of player.”

The 28-year-old has played in two World Cups, two European Championships and the 2024 Olympics, as well as twice finishing runner-up in the Champions League and winning three French Cups.

She joined PSG at the age of 15 and scored 54 goals in nearly 270 games for the club.

The transfer is a significant coup for the WSL newcomers, who are the first top-flight team not affiliated to a men’s club. It is run by American businesswoman Michele Kang, who is also the majority owner of OL Lyonnes - formerly Olympique Lyonnais Feminin - and NWSL club Washington Spirit, as well as a minority owner and president of Olympique Lyonnais, the men’s club.