Chelsea sign France forward Melvine Malard from Manchester United for club-record fee

Published Jul 20, 02:00 PM UTC

Chelsea have signed France forward Melvine Malard from Manchester United on a four-year contract for a club-record fee of approximately £850,000. Malard, 26, had one year left on her contract and expressed a desire to move, prompting United to sell rather than lose her on a free transfer next summer. She reunites with Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor, who coached her at Lyonnes (formerly Lyon) from age 14. Malard stated her objective is to win trophies, aligning with Chelsea's ambitions. She is Chelsea's third summer signing, following Katie McCabe and Manaka Matsukubo, as the club rebuilds its forward line after departures including Sam Kerr and Guro Reiten. United plan to reinvest the fee into their squad. The article also notes Liverpool's signing of Japanese midfielder Mao Itamura from Feyenoord.