Chelsea have agreed a Women’s Super League Deadline Day deal to sign England midfielder Keira Walsh from Barcelona.
Negotiations were concluded on Thursday morning and a fee of around £500,000 agreed. Walsh will have a medical in London and a deal is expected to be concluded before the 11pm deadline.
Walsh’s Barcelona contract ends in the summer and she was keen on a move back to the WSL.
The 27-year-old joined Barcelona from Manchester City in 2022 for a then world-record fee of £400,000.
Chelsea broke the record to sign USA defender Naomi Girma earlier this month.
Walsh has 80 caps for her country and was a key part of the team which won the Euros in 2022 and reached the World Cup final in 2023. She has won back-to-back league titles and Champions Leagues with Barcelona after helping Man City to the WSL title in 2016.
If the signing of Walsh is completed it will become the fourth most expensive women’s football signing ever.
Current most expensive transfers in women’s football:
1. Naomi Girma to Chelsea, £900k
2. Rachael Kundanaji to Bay FC, £685k
3. Barbra Banda to Orlando Pride, £581k
4. Mayra Ramirez to Chelsea, £426k
5. Keira Walsh to Barcelona, £400k
Transfer Centre LIVE! Deals, rumours, news on your phone 📱
The January transfer window is OPEN!
Follow all the latest deals, news and rumours on the ‘Transfers’ section of the Sky Sports app!
Looking for news about YOUR club? Find dedicated transfer pages forEVERY Premier League team.