USA defender Naomi Girma is broadly thought-about among the best footballers on the planet – and he or she is in demand.
With 44 worldwide caps already to her title, the 24-year-old has established herself on the worldwide stage.
San Diego Wave – now managed by – have their work minimize out to maintain maintain of Girma, with Europe’s greatest golf equipment circling.
The Nationwide Ladies’s Soccer League aspect have already exercised a 12 months possibility in her contract, tying her down till 2026.
However experiences counsel golf equipment are getting ready to pay $1m (£814,000) to get Girma out of that deal – so the place may she be taking part in her soccer this 12 months?
What are Chelsea and Lyon providing?
With 10 days remaining within the Ladies’s Tremendous League switch window all eyes are on Chelsea, who’ve expressed curiosity in Girma.
The defending WSL champions have been in a tussle with French giants Lyon for her signature this month.
that Lyon had made a girls’s world document $1m supply to San Diego Wave.
It’s also believed Lyon’s majority proprietor Michele Kang is ready to pay unmatched wages.
However Chelsea are additionally mentioned to be ready to do all it takes to signal Girma, who’s a precedence goal for them within the January window.
With centre-back Kadeisha Buchanan out with an anterior cruciate ligament damage, Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor desires a substitute.
Former Blues supervisor Emma Hayes – now Girma’s head coach with the US – can supply helpful perception on her outdated membership, whereas USA stars Mia Fishel and Catarina Macario have just lately made the transfer to London.
Champions League soccer is an apparent attraction for Girma and each Chelsea and Lyon often problem for the trophy.
Nonetheless, Chelsea consider they’ll supply aggressive soccer within the WSL and an opportunity to win a number of trophies, in addition to providing substantial wages.
Why is Girma in such demand?
Girma’s abilities have been evident for a number of years, with San Diego Wave deciding on the defender as the primary decide of the 2022 NWSL Draft.
On the finish of the season, she was named the NWSL’s defender of the 12 months and rookie of the 12 months.
The next 12 months she signed a brand new three-year deal, helped San Diego Wave win the NWSL Protect underneath ex-Manchester United supervisor Casey Stoney and was named the league’s greatest defender for a second successive 12 months.
Girma has additionally performed a key position for the USA, and was one of many standout performers as they fell to an early exit within the final 16 of the 2023 Ladies’s World Cup.
She was named US Soccer’s feminine participant of the 12 months and backed it up by taking part in each minute of their run to Olympic gold in 2024.
