Chelsea strikes deal with Wave to acquire defender Naomi Girma, AP Source says

Chelsea has stuck a deal to acquire San Diego Wave and U.S. defender Naomi Girma, a person with knowledge of the transfer agreement told The Associated Press.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the transfer, which had not been finalized.

The transfer agreement is for $1.1 million, according to The Athletic, the highest fee ever commanded for a transfer in the women’s game.

Girma, 24, was under contract with the Wave until 2026. She drew interest from French club Lyon and Arsenal in the Women’s Super League.

Girma made her debut for the national team in 2022. She has appeared in 44 games with the United States and played on the squad that won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

U.S. coach Emma Hayes, the former coach at Chelsea, called Girma "the best defender I’ve ever seen” during the Olympics.

"I've never seen a player as good as her at a center back. She’s got everything: Poise, composure, she defends, she anticipates, she leads," said Hayes, who worked with such defenders as Millie Bright and Magdalena Eriksson while leading Chelsea for 12 years. "I mean, wow. Unbelievable."

Girma was named U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year for 2023. She also won the federation’s Young Player of the Year award in 2020.

Girma was captain of the Stanford team that won the national championship in 2019. She was taken at No. 1 in the 2022 National Women’s Soccer League draft by the Wave. She was named the league’s Rookie of the Year and Defender of the Year in her first season.