Orlando Pride all set to break women’s transfer record as they prepare $1.5m Lizbeth Ovalle deal from Tigres.
Orlando Pride to break women’s transfer record with $1.5m Lizbeth Ovalle deal.
An individual with knowledge of the negotiations informed The Associated Press on Wednesday that Lizbeth Ovalle is anticipated to join the Orlando Pride from Mexico’s Tigres UANL for a record transfer price of $1.5 million (£1.1 million).
By Monday, the National Women’s Soccer League’s transfer deadline, the deal should be finalised. Since the agreement had not yet been properly signed, the individual spoke on condition of anonymity.
The transfer fee is more than what Arsenal paid Liverpool last month for Canadian attacker Olivia Smith in the English Women’s Super League, which was $1.3 million (£1 million). Chelsea’s January payment of $1.1 million to the San Diego Wave for defender Naomi Girma set a new record.
Additionally, it breaks the previous Orlando Pride record for an incoming transfer, as the team paid Shanghai Shengli $740,000, the second-highest women’s transfer price at the time.
Since making her Liga MX Femenil debut in 2017, Ovalle, a 25-year-old winger who ranked No. 86 in the Guardian’s most recent ranking of the top 100 women’s football players, has guided Tigres to six championships. With 136 goals, she is the team’s all-time top scorer.
After making her senior debut in 2018, she has also made 58 appearances and scored 20 goals for the Mexican national team. When she scored a well-placed chip to put Mexico ahead of the US in the W Gold Cup last year, she attracted attention in the US.
Ovalle, known in the area as La Maga (The Magician), is renowned for her bold ambitions, confidence, and flair. In a Tigres game against Guadalajara this year, she scored a goal known as a “scorpion kick” while facing away from the net that went popular on social media.
She will play for Orlando City, the reigning NWSL champions and Shield winners, one of the top teams in the NWSL. Despite being 12 points behind the league leaders, Kansas City Current, the Pride are now in third place, but they still have a lot of star power. This season, Ovalle will join an attacking group that also features Banda and Brazil great Marta. He is expected to be a key member of the club going forward.