Arsenal Secure Liverpool’s Smith In Record-Breaking Women’s Transfer

Arsenal has signed Canadian forward Olivia Smith from Liverpool in a deal reportedly worth a women’s world record fee of £1 million ($1.3 million), the club announced on Thursday.

Smith has joined the Champions League holders on a lucrative four-year contract.

The 20-year-old’s transfer surpasses the previous record set when Chelsea signed Naomi Girma from San Diego Wave for £900,000 earlier this year.

Smith said, “It’s my dream to compete for the biggest titles here in England and in Europe, and I’m excited to get started and contribute to doing that here with Arsenal.”

Smith had moved to Liverpool from Portugal’s Sporting in 2024 for just £200,000 and scored seven goals in 20 Women’s Super League appearances.

Liverpool reportedly accepted the record-breaking offer after rejecting several bids for Smith, who made her debut for Canada at age 15 in 2019.

Arsenal head coach Renee Slegers commented, “Olivia is an exciting young player, and we believe she can make a big contribution here at Arsenal.

“We’ve been impressed by her mentality and character, excelling in two European leagues at such a young age.”