Olivia Smith, Grace Geyoro, Alyssa Thompson, most expensive transfers
© IMAGO
TRANSFERS
Cameron Smith
Cameron Smith
Clara Luvanga is believed to be the most expensive female footballer of all time, courtesy of her transfer from Al-Nassr to the Washington Spirit in September 2026.
Luvanga joined the National Women's Soccer League team for a fee of €1.7m, although this figure has not been officially confirmed. Some reports have claimed that the Spirit may have paid even more.
Others, however, have disputed that Luvanga's fee even cracked the €1.65m record previously set by Grace Geyoro, when she joined the London City Lionesses from PSG. Ironically, the latter is also a highly contentious number that has never been formally disclosed.
Women's football has come on leaps and bounds over the past decade, and female players have begun to receive huge recognition for their incredible talent.
England's victory in the delayed 2021 Women's European Championships took the game to new levels, with the attendance at Wembley's final breaking the record for a Euros final for both the men's and women's game.
However, despite increases in the finances of the game, such as prize money for the Women's FA Cup, there is still a huge disparity in the wealth between men's and women's football.
Clara Luvanga is believed to be the most expensive women's footballer ever
© IMAGO - Clara Luvanga is believed to be the most expensive women's footballer ever
What are the biggest women's soccer transfers of all time?
Neymar’s record-breaking move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain for €222 million is put into yet more perspective when comparing it to his female counterpart, Luvanga.
The women's world record transfer fee has been broken several times over the past few years, with Naomi Girma, Racheal Kundananji, Mayra Ramirez, Keira Walsh, Olivia Smith, Lizbeth Jacqueline Ovalle and Geyoro all briefly becoming the most expensive female player of all time since 2022.
Below, FootballTransfers runs through the most expensive women's football transfers in history.
The 50 most expensive women's football transfers of all time
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Player Clubs Fee Year
1. Clara Luvanga Al-Nassr to Washington Spirit €1.7m 2026
2. Grace Geyoro PSG to London City Lionesses €1.65m 2025
3. Felicia Schroder BK Hacken to Real Madrid €1.5m 2026
= Kerolin Man City to Barcelona €1.5m 2026
5. Lizbeth Jacqueline Ovalle Tigres to Orlando Pride €1.3m 2025
6. Olivia Smith Liverpool to Arsenal €1.27m 2025
7. Alyssa Thompson Angel City to Chelsea €1.24m 2025
8. Jaedyn Shaw NC Courage to Gotham €1.07m 2025
= Naomi Girma San Diego Wave to Chelsea €1.07m 2025
10. Melvine Malard Man Utd to Chelsea €1m 2026
11. Tarciane Houston Dash to OL Lyonnes €960k 2025
12. Amanda Gutierres Palmeiras to Boston Legacy €937k 2026
13. Claire Hutton KC Current to Bay FC €927k 2026
14. Ludmila Chicago Stars to San Diego Wave €857k 2026
15. Keira Walsh Barcelona to Chelsea €850k 2025
16. Croix Bethune Washington Spirit to KC Current €842k 2026
17. Racheal Kundananji Madrid CFF to Bay FC €805k 2024
18. Kadidiatou Diani OL Lyonnes to London City Lionesses €800k 2026
= Claudia Martinez Club Olimpia to Washington Spirit €800k 2026
20. Sam Coffey Portland Thorns to Man City €751k 2026
21. Ally Sentnor KC Current to Angel City €741k 2026
22. Jameese Joseph Chicago Stars to Utah Royals €725k 2026
23. Nina Nijstad PSV to Portland Thorns €700k 2026
= Ellen Wangerheim Hammarby to Man Utd €700k 2026
25. Kiana Palacios Club America to Utah Royals €690k 2026
26. Barbra Banda Shanghai Shengli to Orlando Pride €681k 2024
27. Janni Thomsen Valerenga to Utah Royals €677k 2025
28. Kika Nazareth Benfica to Barcelona €650k 2024
= Carlotta Wamser Bayer Leverkusen to Man City €650k 2026
30. Lisa Baum RB Leipzig to Arsenal €600k 2026
= Johanna Rytting Kaneryd Chelsea to OL Lyonnes €600k 2026
= Janou Levels Wolfsburg to Real Madrid €600k 2026
= Arianna Caruso Bayern Munich to Real Madrid €600k 2026
= Elisa De Almeida PSG to Arsenal €600k 2026
35. Kelly Gago Everton to West Ham €588k 2026
36. Niamh Charles Chelsea to Man City €580k 2026
37. Ellie Carpenter OL Lyonnes to Chelsea €562k 2025
38. Emily Sams Orlando Pride to Angel City €558k 2026
39. Lara Prasnikar Eintracht Frankfurt to Utah Royals €550k 2025
40. Oriane Jean-Francois Chelsea to Aston Villa €519k 2026
41. Ally Sentnor Utah Royals to KC Current €518k 2025
42. Hina Sugita Portland Thorns to Angel City €511k 2025
43. Isa Haas Cruzeiro to Club America €510k 2026
44. Giulia Dragoni Barcelona to Chelsea €500k 2026
= Lucia Corrales Barcelona to London City Lionesses €500k 2025
= Mayra Ramirez Levante to Chelsea €500k 2024
= Ewa Pajor Wolfsburg to Barcelona €500k 2024
= Lotte Keukelaar Ajax to Real Madrid €500k 2025
= Ivonne Chacon Levante to Chicago Stars €500k 2025
50. Adriana Orlando Pride to Al-Qadsiah €480k 2025
Who is the most expensive women's football transfer of all time?
Clara Luvanga - €1.7m (Al-Nassr to Washington Spirit, 2026)
Clara Luvanga became the most expensive women's footballer of all time when the Washington Spirit bought her from Al-Nassr for €1.7m in September 2026.
Who is the most expensive women's goalkeeper of all time?
Phallon Tullis-Joyce - €150k (OL Reign to Man Utd, 2023)
American shot-stopper Phallon Tullis-Joyce is the most expensive goalkeeper in women's football history. She cost Man Utd €150,000 when they signed her from OL Reign on Transfer Deadline Day in 2023.
Who is the most expensive women's defender of all time?
Naomi Girma - €1.07m (San Diego Wave to Chelsea, 2025)
Naomi Girma became the most expensive defender in women's football history when she swapped the San Diego Wave for Chelsea in 2025. It cost the WSL giants €1.07m to bring her to England.
Naomi Girma is the most expensive defender in women's football history
© IMAGO - Naomi Girma is the most expensive defender in women's football history
Who is the most expensive women's midfielder of all time?
Grace Geyoro - €1.15m (PSG to London City Lionesses, 2025)
Grace Geyoro is the most expensive midfielder in women's football history after joining the London City Lionesses from PSG in September 2025 for €1.15m.
Who is the most expensive women's forward of all time?
Clara Luvanga - €1.7m (Al-Nassr to Washington Spirit, 2026)
As the most expensive women's footballer in history, Clara Luvanga is also the priciest forward ever.
What was the first world record fee for a women's footballer?
The former wife of Brazilian superstar Ronaldo Nazario, Milene Domingues, was signed by Rayo Vallecano for a world-record fee back in 2003, although much of their reasoning was simply for the potential economic gain the club could receive, rather than her ability on the pitch.
In fact, due to Spanish rules, Domingues was unable to actually play competitive games for the club. She could only feature in friendly matches.
She became famous long before her move to Spain, joining Corinthians' women’s side in her homeland of Brazil at the age of 14. She began to perform half-time ball-juggling entertainment and three years later she set a new world record of 55,187 consecutive keepy-uppies, a feat that took over nine hours to complete.
After marrying Ronaldo and carrying their child, she decided to return to football and joined Italian side Fiamma Monza while Ronaldo was at Inter Milan.
However, when Ronaldo left Inter to join Real Madrid, Domingues followed suit in departing Italy. Her arrival in the country provided an opportunity to raise the profile of the women’s game by adding the wife of Ronaldo to their league.
Milene Domingues could only play friendly matches for Rayo Vallecano
© IMAGO - Milene Domingues could only play friendly matches for Rayo Vallecano
She chose to join Rayo Vallecano and earned a reported annual wage of €36,000 to become the most well-paid female player in the country. In fact, she was one of very few women to be paid to play football.
However, she soon discovered she wouldn’t be able to play professionally for the club as only Spanish players were allowed to play in the women’s top division at the time.
Due to her desire to play competitively, Domingues arranged to fly to her former club Fiamma Monza every weekend to ensure she was able to compete.
At the time she spoke of the issue, saying: "Football is my passion. I took three years out when I had Ronald, and I missed it so much. It's something you can only do when you are young, and I have to take advantage now Ronald doesn't need me so much.
"Also, Italian football is more developed than Spanish women's football and the league here is much more competitive."