Keira Walsh set for €550,000 Chelsea move after Barcelona accept offer | OneFootball

Barcelona have accepted a bid from Chelsea for Keira Walsh and the England midfielder is expected to undergo a medical in London on Thursday. The transfer fee is understood to be in the region of €550,000 (£460,000), which would make the deal the fourth most expensive in the history of women’s football.The two clubs reached an agreement overnight, inside the final 24 hours of the window, which closes at 11pm on Thursday and Barcelona gave Walsh permission to travel to London.The 27-year-old would be eligible to be registered for Chelsea’s Champions League squad for the knockout stages and therefore could theoretically be set for a reunion against her former side if they were to meet in the competition this season. Walsh has helped Barcelona win back-to-back Champions League titles in the past two seasons.The midfielder’s contract is due to expire in the summer. Arsenal targeted Walsh last summer and she was ­reportedly the subject of a bid from the club, who have been heavily linked with her for several months.

Chelsea’s move for Walsh comes just days after they broke the world record with a fee of $1.1m (£890,000) to sign the United States defender Naomi Girma from San Diego Wave.Walsh’s latest transfer fee would mean that two of the top five most expensive transfers in women’s football would involve the former Manchester City midfielder as she moved to Barcelona from City for around £400,000 in 2022.

In the leadup to Thursday’s 11pm deadline, meanwhile, another ­Lioness could be on the move. Chloe Kelly says she has accepted she has no future at Manchester City beyond the end of her contract which expires in June, breaking her silence after weeks of speculation about her future.

The winger has been increasingly frozen out at City, making only one start in the WSL this season amid reports linking her with a move away from the club. She accused City of “dictating” who she can and cannot join and said the situation is having an impact on her mental wellbeing.

Posting a lengthy statement on Instagram on Wednesday evening, Kelly said: “For a long time I’ve tried to work through profes­sional challenges privately, not commenting publicly, but with my situation increasingly being debated in the public domain, I feel it’s time to be open and transparent.

“A key lesson I have learned in my life is that whilst I can’t control someone’s negative behaviour towards me, I can control how long I am prepared to tolerate it.

“With my contract expiring in June, I’ve accepted my future is not at this club beyond then. With the Euros fast approaching, this summer is a huge one and I want to be in a position to give it my best shot to represent my country. However, to be dictated whom I can and can’t join with only four months left of the football season is having a huge impact on not only my career but my mental well­being. The situation has dragged on far too long, it’s disappointing and not right.” Kelly concluded her statement by saying: “Ultimately I just want to be happy again.”

City are understood to be open to allowing Kelly to leave the club in this transfer window and an offer is believed to be on the table.

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