Chelsea swoop on WSL deadline day to sign Keira Walsh for £440,000 | OneFootball

Chelsea are expected to confirm the signing of the England midfielder Keira Walsh from the European champions Barcelona on Friday, for a fee understood to be in the region of €550,000 (£440,000).In one of the highest-profile deadline-day transfers in Women’s Super League history, Walsh completed a medical at Chelsea on Thursday and parties are very confident that the deal was completed in time for the 23:00 GMT deadline, as fans await official confirmation.

In the space of a dramatic 24 hours, the two clubs agreed on the fee overnight on Wednesday night before Walsh flew to London on Thursday, and the move is understood to have progressed without any late hitches.

Walsh, who was a key part of the Lionesses side that won the 2022 Euros, was keen to return to England and Chelsea, admirers for many years, acted quickly to secure her signature.

The midfielder’s contract at Barcelona was due to expire in the summer, presenting the possibility of her leaving the club on a free transfer, but the Spanish league champions decided to sell her instead of losing her for nothing in five months’ time.

Chelsea’s move for Walsh comes days after they broke the world record with a fee of $1.1m (£880,000) to sign the USA defender Naomi Girma from San Diego Wave. Their deal for Walsh will also be widely seen as a further boost to Chelsea’s hopes of more silverware this season, as they strengthen their squad again despite being seven points clear at the top of the WSL, in their pursuit of a sixth consecutive title. Sonia Bompastor’s side are also through to the League Cup semi-finals, the fifth round of the FA Cup and the Champions League quarter-finals.

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. The quarter-final draw takes place on Friday 7 February.

Walsh has helped Barcelona win back-to-back Champions League titles in the past two seasons, but is believed to have told the Catalan club that she wanted to be closer to her family.

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. Her move to Chelsea will be seen as a bitter blow to Arsenal, who were also interested in Girma before her decision to join Chelsea.

Walsh’s latest transfer fee would mean that two of the 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.

Header image: [Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA]