Lyon joins Naomi Girma transfer battle with record $1 million offer for USWNT star: Sources

Lyon has offered a $1 million transfer fee for San Diego Wave center back Naomi Girma, sources briefed on the ongoing negotiations told . If accepted by the Wave, it would be the new record for a transfer fee in the women’s game, previously held by Racheal Kundananji for her $862,000 transfer from Madrid CFF to Bay FC in the NWSL. Other European teams, including Chelsea and Arsenal in the Women’s Super League, are interested in Girma with ESPN reporting Thursday that Chelsea was leading the way.

Lyon denies making a $1 million offer.

Amid the heightened speculation of a potential transfer to a European team, Girma is carrying a minor calf injury and will miss the U.S. women’s national team’s January training camp, both U.S. Soccer and the Wave confirmed to on Thursday.

The camp, which runs from Jan. 17-23 in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., serves as a traditional start to the year alongside an under-23 Futures Camp. However, it does not feature any matches as it’s outside a FIFA international window. The USWNT will play its first games of 2025 at the SheBelieves Cup next month, with a roster that will include the return of American players from abroad.

Girma, 24, rose to prominence during the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand and was later a key figure in the USWNT’s run to the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. She was named the NWSL Defender of the Year in 2022 and 2023, just the second player to win the honor more than once.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

US Women's national team, San Diego Wave, Soccer, NWSL

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