Chelsea has reached a verbal agreement with Angel City to acquire winger Alyssa Thompson on the second-richest transfer in women’s soccer history, The Athletic reported Thursday, citing unnamed sources.
The two teams have until 3 p.m. Pacific time, when the Women’s Super League transfer window closes, to get the deal in writing.
The move is said to be worth $1.3 million, which would match what Arsenal paid Liverpool for Canadian Olivia Smith in July. The highest transfer fee in women’s soccer is $1.5 million, which Mexico’s Tigres received from the Orlando Pride for Lizbeth Ovalle last month.
Chelsea, the most successful women’s team in English soccer, and Angel City, the most valuable women’s team in the U.S., have been discussing a transfer deal for Thompson for some time. Thompson was held out of Angel City’s win Sunday over Bay FC as the negotiations progressed. But then the talks hit a snag.
Thompson, who had already agreed to a five-year contract with Chelsea, said goodbye to her teammates last weekend and was prepared to fly to London to seal the deal Monday and Tuesday, only to turn away without boarding a plane. On Wednesday, she did fly out, arriving early Thursday, local time. She will undergo a physical before the transfer is completed.
If the deal does go through, Thompson would become the third player to leave Angel City on a transfer to the WSL in less than a week. Midfielders Alanna Kennedy and Katie Zelem joined the London City Lionesses for undisclosed fees on Aug. 27.
Thompson was a senior at the Harvard Westlake School when she became the youngest player taken in the NWSL draft, going to Angel City with the No. 1 pick in January 2023. That summer she became the second-youngest player to appear in a World Cup game for the U.S.
She signed a three-year contract worth an estimated $1 million after the draft in 2023, then agreed to a three-year extension last January. She is the club’s all-time scoring leader with 21 goals in all competition and she ranks sixth in appearances with 74. Her six goals in 16 games this season ranks second behind Riley Tiernan’s eight and she also has three goals and three assists in 22 games with the national team.
For Thompson, 20, leaving Angel City would also mean leaving her sister and roommate Gisele, 19, a national team defender who was signed by Angel City in December 2023.
For Angel City (6-7-5), losing Thompson would strike a significant blow to the team’s playoff hopes. The club, which has won two straight and is unbeaten in its last four, is a point out of the league’s eighth and final postseason berth with eight games to play but it has already been playing without Scottish international Claire Emslie, who is on maternity leave; defender Savy King, who is on medical leave; and U.S. World Cup champion Sydney Leroux, who has stepped away from soccer to deal with a mental health issue.
Angel City has had one winning season and made just one playoff appearance since joining the NWSL four years ago.
