The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the transfer, which had not been finalized. The transfer agreement is for $1.1 million,

The fee is believed to be in the region of £900,000, making the 24-year-old the most expensive women's footballer in history.

Girma grew up in San Jose and attended Pioneer high school before becoming a standout at Stanford. She was the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NWSL draft, and has won the league’s defender of the year award in each of her first two seasons.