Record transfer fees in Women’s Super League.

The record transfer fee of all time remains the £198 million that Paris Saint-Germain paid Barcelona for Neymar back in 2017.

However, despite the growing interest and popularity of the sport, and more money as a result coming into the game, women’s football cannot (yet) compete when it comes to transfer fees, and there remains a huge disparity between the two. These are the record transfer fees involving clubs in the Women’s Super League.

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Keira Walsh £350,000

History was made earlier this month when Kiera Walsh was signed by Barcelona from Manchester City for £350,000, a world record for women’s football. Midfielder Walsh was one of the lynchpins of England’s success in the Euros in the summer, and now the Englishwoman has joined one of the most successful teams in Europe, winners of the Champions League in 2021, and runners-up to PSG last season.

Pernille Harder £223,000

The signing of Walsh eclipsed the previous record which was set in 2020 when Chelsea paid £223,000 to the German side Wolfsburg to sign the Danish striker Pernille Harder.

A five time Danish Footballer of the Year, Harding has over 250 career goals to her name, and the 27 goals she netted in 21 games for Wolfsburg in her final season with them, set a new Bundesliga record.

She had a strong start to her career in England, managing 17 goals in 38 games, and helping her side reach the final of the Champions League for the first time. And they also won the league and cup double, a feat they repeated in her second season with them, even though she was not quite so prolific in front of goal.

Lauren James £210,000

The younger sister of Chelsea and England star Reece James, Lauren joined her brother at the West London club when they paid Manchester United £210,000 for her services last year.

That was partly on the back of the forward’s form in Manchester United’s promotion winning season in the 2018/2019 season when she scored 14 goals in 18 league games.

Still only 20, she has recently made her England debut, coming on as a second half substitute in a World Cup qualifier against Austria.

Hanna Bennison £159,500

Everton broke their own transfer record to sign Swedish midfielder Hanna Bennison from FC Rosengard. She made her debut for the Swedish national team aged just 17, and UEFA then named her as one of the most promising young players in Europe.

Despite missing much of the 2020 season due to injury and Covid, and not even being an automatic starter for her club, Everton still decided to invest in her. She has subsequently made 28 appearances for the Merseyside club, scoring once.

Valerie Gauvin £86,200

The money that Everton paid for Bennison was almost double what they had previously paid to acquire French forward Valerie Gauvin from Montpellier a year earlier.

However, this was a transfer that did not just work out. Gauvin managed just five goals in 27 games and, after failing to settle in England, was sold to the North Carolina Courage in the American National Women’s Super League for an undisclosed fee.

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