26 January 2024 , 14:30
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Chelsea Women have completed the signing of Colombia striker Mayra Ramirez for an English record fee.
The highly rated 24-year-old has signed a four-and-a-half year deal with the Blues. The fee, understood to be approximately €450,000 (£380,000), would set a new record fee in British women's football and could be a new world record fee with add-ons.
Barcelona broke the world record for most expensive women's signing when they reportedly paid Manchester City in excess of £350,000 for the services of midfielder Keira Walsh. The previous record was set in 2020, when Chelsea signed Pernille Harder from Wolfsburg for a fee reported to be in excess of £250,000.
Ramirez made her name over the summer as she helped Colombia to an historic quarter-final berth at the Women's World Cup, where they were beaten by the Lionesses on their way to the final.
Ramirez continued to impress at club level with Levante following the World Cup exit, scoring six goals in seven league games this season after netting 14 last term. In the last four years, Ramirez has scored 32 goals in 95 games in La Liga.
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The prolific rate of return is precisely what the reigning league champions are looking for following the news that star striker Sam Kerr would miss the season's remainder after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury during a warm weather training camp in Morocco earlier this month.
Despite Chelsea boss Emma Hayes emphasising the strength in attacking depth touted within her team when pressed on potential incomings this January transfer window - a sentiment augmented by the return of USWNT forward Catarina Macario from her ACL injury suffered last year - the hole left in Chelsea's goalscoring ranks by Kerr is significant.
The Australian has scored 99 goals for the club and is believed to have agreed a contract extension with Chelsea on principle ahead of the current expiration date of her deal in the summer.
Mayra Ramirez poses for a photograph as she signs for Chelsea FC Women (Photo by Harriet Lander - Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)Hayes' side are the only English club still competing on all fronts. Sitting top of the WSL with a three-point buffer to their nearest rivals and having clinched their Champions League group following a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid earlier in the week, the Blues are bidding not only to achieve an unprecedented fifth league title on the bounce but attain the only piece of silverware that has eluded manager Hayes in her tenure at the club.
On joining the club, Ramirez said: "To be part of such a huge club is a dream come true and one I’ve had since I was a little girl."
General manager Paul Green added: "Mayra is a dynamic forward who can play anywhere across the front line. We have watched her develop in Spain over the last few years and believe her style is going to suit playing in England.
"She has great physicality, athleticism, and a good goalscoring record. We’re all excited with what she can bring to the squad now and in the long term."