Top five most expensive women’s football transfers
Transfer fees have become a topic of great interest in football these days with the men’s game already hitting insane figures.
The women’s game continues to grow and the development in the last few years has led to changes in the fees being paid for some of these players.
The wealthiest women’s football clubs in the world are found in Liga F (Spanish Women’s division) and Division 1 Feminine ( France Women’s league). However, the Women’s Super League has provided equal purchasing power in terms of revenue, with Mayra Ramirez only a few days after her announcement as the most expensive female footballer moving from Levante Feminine to Chelsea’s women’s team, this only lasted a few days as Zambian footballer Racheal Kundananji took over the wheel as the most expensive female player in women’s football history.
Here are the top five most expensive women’s football transfers:
5. Jill Roord – £300,000
Manchester City managed to persuade highly-rated midfielder Jill Roord to swap Germany for England last summer, the Dutch international joining the WSL side from Champions League finalists Wolfsburg.
Despite a lack of European football for Man City this season, Roord chose to join Gareth Taylor’s side – a decision that looks justified given they currently sit second in the WSL and only three points off champions Chelsea. The £300,000 spent by Man City has proved a bargain, Roord having netted ten goals in 16 appearances in all competitions, but she will miss the rest of the season with an ACL rupture.
4. Lena Eberdorf – £450,000
The 22-year-old midfielder joined Bayern Munich from Wolfsburg making her the most expensive German female footballer.
The deal worth £450,000 ($483,000) came as no surprise as Eberdorf after joining Wolfsburg in 2020 made 99 Frauen-Bundesliga appearances and was part of Wolfsburg’s 2021-22 title-winning squad.
Eberdorf has since gone on to capp 44 times for the national team and won the best young player for the Euro 2022 where Germany succumbed to a painful defeat to England in the final.
3. Keira Walsh – £470,000
In 2022, Keira Walsh left the familiarity of England for the unknown of Spain following an eight-year tenure at Man City. The Lioness joined Barcelona for a then-record £400,000, and since then, the Liga F team has won four championships, including the Champions League. Walsh’s successful run at the 2022 European Championship, which England won, will have also attracted Barcelona’s attention. In the final, the midfielder was named player of the match.
2. Mayra Ramirez – £500,000
Mayra Ramirez, Chelsea’s most recent high-profile acquisition, cost the Blues £500,000, assuming add-ons are successful. The forward, who formerly played for Liga F team Levante, is brought in as a replacement for Sam Kerr, who suffered a permanent ACL injury.
The Colombian was a standout performer at the World Cup and contributed 25 goals to Levante’s league total in 27 games last season. Throughout the second part of the season, WSL defenders will have a difficult time stopping the 24-year-old striker, who is strong and persistent.
1. Racheal Kundananji – £805,000
With Racheal Kundananji’s transfer from Madrid CFF to newly established Bay FC in the United States, Ramirez’s short reign as the most expensive signing in women’s football has been eclipsed.
With 33 goals in 44 Liga F games for Madrid, it comes as no surprise that the 23-year-old made the transfer for an initial payment of £625,000.
When it comes to men’s or women’s football, Kundananji is the first player from Africa to break a record for transfers.
