Todd Boehly set to shatter Chelsea Women transfer record after star striker Sam Kerr ruled out for season

3 months ago 36

CHELSEA WOMEN are set to break their transfer record to sign striker Mayra Ramirez, according to reports.

Blues owner Todd Boehly has already spent more than £1billion on the men’s team since he took over from Roman Abramovich in 2022.

And now he is preparing to sanction the biggest fee in Chelsea Women’s history.

According to Sky Sports, the sum they will pay Levante for Colombian Ramirez, 24, will surpass the £250,000 they spent on Pernille Harder in 2020.

The South American striker has caught the Blues’ attention with six goals in seven games this season, following on from her tally of 14 in the 2022/23 campaign.

Ramirez, who has also earned 30 caps for her country, will join the Women’s Super League champions as a replacement for Australian taliswoman Sam Kerr – who has been ruled out for the rest of the season.

And while she will become the team’s most lucrative signing, it is still a drop in the ocean from the £100million-plus fees spent on male players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo last year.

The Telegraph understand Chelsea are expected to recoup most of the money spent of Ramirez through the sale of Jessie Fleming to Portland Thorns.

Kerr, 30, is out for the campaign after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury during a training camp in Morocco earlier this month.

The former Chicago Red Stars forward had bagged nine goals in 12 matches before the injury.

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Widely considered one of the best strikers in the world, Kerr has hit the back of the net 99 times in 128 games since arriving at Chelsea four years ago.

But Blues boss Emma Hayes insisted her side could deal with the absence of their star attacker.

And they proved just that at Stamford Bridge on Sunday as Lauren James bagged a hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Manchester United.

Chelsea sit top of the Women’s Super League, three points clear of Manchester City.

Hayes’ women are also through to the quarter-finals of the Women’s Champions League.