Chelsea, Arsenal, the Orlando Pride and the London City Lionesses have all broken the world record in 2025 alone, as spending in the women's game grows
As women's football continues to grow worldwide, the sport's transfer record does too. In fact, in 2025 alone, the world-record fee has been broken no fewer than four times. It means that the money Chelsea parted with back in the summer of 2020 to sign Pernille Harder for the greatest fee in the history of the women's game is now some way down the list of the most expensive transfers, not even inside the top 25.
Keira Walsh took Harder's place and moved to the top of that list in the summer of 2022, but her transfer from Manchester City to Barcelona is not even in the top 10 anymore, with the England midfielder herself actually part of a more expensive deal in January 2025, when she moved back to England to join Chelsea.
So, what are the most lucrative transfers in the history of women's football? GOAL breaks down the most expensive deals the sport has seen to date…
Getty Images15Kika Nazareth (Benfica to Barcelona)
Another huge signing Barcelona made in the summer of 2024, Kika had become arguably the best player in Portugal before moving to Catalunya. Debuting for Benfica at 16 years old, she was 21 when Barca came in and paid just under €500,000 (£424,000/$538,000) to sign her. The young forward is continuing her exciting development nicely with the reigning European champions.
AdvertisementGetty Images14Mayra Ramirez (Levante to Chelsea)
When Chelsea got the news that star striker Sam Kerr had suffered a cruel ACL injury in the first few days of 2024, they made a statement by making a big move in the January transfer window that would help make up for her absence. For a fee of €450,000 (£384,000/$486,000), the Blues signed Mayra Ramirez from Levante, after her impressive return of 22 goals in 38 games for the Spanish side.
Ramirez's arrival became all the more important when Mia Fishel, signed as a back-up to Kerr, went down with the same injury shortly after the transfer window closed. Indeed, on the final day of the WSL's 2023-24 season, it was the January arrival who put in a title-winning performance as Chelsea beat Man Utd to retain their league title.
Getty Images13Priscila (Internacional to Club America)
The only transfer on this list which includes a non-American or European club as the buyer, Priscila completed a move from Brazilian club Internacional to Mexican side Club America in 2024 for a fee of $497,000 (£378,000). While the transfer fee converts to a smaller one than Ramirez's in some currencies, it was ranked as a more expensive move than the Chelsea striker's in FIFA's global transfer report for 2024.
Priscila had only just celebrated her 20th birthday when the transfer went through but she is handling the pressure that comes with such a high-profile move well and scoring prolifically for America.
Getty Images Sport12Lily Yohannes (Ajax to Lyon)
It was no surprise when Lily Yohannes completed a transfer that landed her a spot on this list. The teenage midfielder exploded onto the Champions League scene in the 2023-24 season, starring for Ajax as they reached an historic quarter-final, and that helped put her back on the United States' radar, after she had seen limited action in the youth national teams. Indeed, a senior debut wasn't too far away, with the question suddenly when, rather than if, she would get a big move away from Ajax.
That came in the summer of 2025 when, despite heavy links to Chelsea, Yohannes joined eight-time European champions Lyon in a deal worth €450,000 (£390,000 / $525,000). She was only 18 years old when the deal went through.