Lyon has offered a $1 million transfer fee for San Diego Wave center back Naomi Girma, sources briefed on the ongoing negotiations told The Athletic. 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.
If the Wave accepts a record fee from any of the teams looking to add Girma, they could incur a 25% charge towards their salary cap if their net fees exceed $500,000, which is the league’s net transfer threshold for intra and inter-league trades. Girma is currently under contract with San Diego through 2026.
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 The Athletic on Thursday.
Roster Update: Defender Naomi Girma will not attend #USWNT‘s January training camp in Florida due to a minor calf issue. The roster for the camp will feature 25 players. pic.twitter.com/8c1CT6PRJo
— U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (@USWNT) January 16, 2025
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.
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(Photo: Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images)
