Chelsea Women poised to sign Alyssa Thompson from Angel City for £1.1m fee | OneFootball

Chelsea are on the verge of signing the United States winger Alyssa Thompson from Angel City on the Women’s Super League’s transfer deadline day, for an upfront fee understood to be just shy of $1.5m (£1.1m), which sources say could climb close to a world-record sum with potential add-ons.

The 20-year-old completed a medical on Thursday in London, after boarding a flight from Los Angeles late on Wednesday night, amid extensive negotiations between the two clubs. All parties are increasingly confident the move will be finalised in time for the 11pm BST transfer deadline.

The current world record transfer fee for a women’s footballer stands at the $1.5m that was paid by Orlando Pride last month to sign Lizbeth Ovalle from the Mexican side Tigres, which eclipsed the £1m move by Arsenal to sign Olivia Smith from Liverpool in July. It is understood Chelsea’s move for Thompson would not be a world-record fee upfront but could rise to be so with add-ons.

It comes on a busy day in the WSL transfer window, with the promoted side London City Lionesses confirming the signing of the Barcelona youngster Lucía Corrales. They are understood to have met the release clause for the Spain youth international in the region of €500,000 (£435,000).

But London City Lionesses could still break the world record by the end of the night as they are believed to have been in advanced talks to sign the France midfielder Grace Geyoro from Paris Saint-Germain. Geyoro has three years left on her existing contract.

Elsewhere, Grace Clinton has completed her medical at Manchester City for a much-anticipated deal that will mean her England teammate Jess Park moving in the other direction, to Manchester United. Both clubs are expected to confirm that switch later on Thursday.

Clinton, saying goodbye to United’s fans in a statement on her Instagram account, said: “This has been a very difficult decision for me because of the love I have for my team-mates and for you, the fans. However, I feel the future of the club and I aren’t on the same page. For me personally, the next step is about growth. I want to continue to develop and learn.”

Liverpool had a productive deadline day, adding midfielder Emilia Szymczak on a season-long loan from Barcelona, signing the striker Beata Olsson from Kristianstads DFF for an undisclosed fee and securing a permanent deal for full-back Alejandra Bernabé from Chelsea, who returns after an initial loan spell last term.

Tottenham have signed the Norway forward Cathinka Tandberg from Hammarby for an undisclosed fee, while Leicester have made a flurry of late additions, including signing the Australia midfielder Emily van Egmond from Birmingham on a two-year deal.

Header image: [Photograph: Jessica Alcheh/USA Today Sports]