Arsenal poised to make Liverpool’s Smith first £1m female footballer

Arsenal have had a world record bid in excess of £1m accepted by Women’s Super League rivals Liverpool for forward Olivia Smith.

The current world record is the £900,000 Chelsea paid to sign United States defender Naomi Girma from San Diego Wave in January.

The deal for 20-year-old Canada international Smith is subject to a medical and personal terms being agreed.

Smith joined Liverpool from Portuguese side Sporting last summer and scored seven times in 20 WSL appearances in her debut season.

As reported by The Guardian, Smith joined Liverpool for a club-record fee believed to be just over £200,000 in July 2024 from the Portuguese club and still has multiple years left on her contract.

Arsenal have also added Chloe Kelly to their ranks on a free transfer from Manchester City, alongside former Liverpool left-back Taylor Hinds.

She has played 18 times for Canada, scoring four goals.

Liverpool, who finished seventh in the WSL last season, view the sale of Smith as a major opportunity to strengthen their squad by reinvesting the transfer fee.