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United get club record fee of about £850,000 for forwardMalard follows McCabe and Matsukubo into ChelseaChelsea have announced the signing of the France forward Melvine Malard from Manchester United on a four-year contract. The Guardian revealed last week that a deal was close for the the 26-year-old, who has left United after three seasons for about £850,000.Malard had one year on her contract and United were keen to keep the forward. However, once it became clear Malard wanted a move United decided to sell, rather than lose a high-value highly rated player on a free next summer.It is believed United will reinvest the fee, which is a record sale for the club, into the squad, with the transfer window open until 3 September.United have made one summer signing, the full-back Andrea Medina from Atlético Madrid, but more incomings are expected after the departures of Leah Galton, Hannah Blundell, Sienna Wareing, Millie Turner, Lisa Naalsund and Malard.Malard said: “I’m so happy because I have a plan for my life and my career, and Chelsea were a part of that plan … My objective is to become better every single day and to win trophies. I know Chelsea always have that as an objective.”The France international played under Chelsea’s head coach, Sonia Bompastor, at Lyonnes (formerly Lyon) and was recruited to their academy by Bompastor. “I have known Sonia since I was 14 years old, so it is great to work with her again,” Malard said.It is understood Chelsea have been tracking Malard for some time. They have lost a number of players across the forward line, with the club record goalscorer Sam Kerr and Guro Reiten departing for Gotham FC, Catarina Macario joining San Diego Wave and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd signing for Lyonnes.Malard is Chelsea’s third signing of the summer, after the former Arsenal full-back Katie McCabe and the forward Manaka Matsukubo, who was with North Carolina Courage.Malard spent seven seasons at Lyonnes, winning four Champions Leagues, three league titles and two Coupes de France. Her first season with United was on loan.Last season she scored four goals in United’s run to a first Champions League quarter-final and six times in 18 WSL games.Liverpool have signed the Japanese attacking midfielder Mao Itamura from Feyenoord. The 19-year-old, who won the Under-20 Women’s Asian Cup in April, was the Eredivisie player of the year last season in the Netherlands. She scored eight times and provided six assists as Feyenoord qualified for European competition for the first time, their third-place finish earning a place in the Europa Cup.Itamura is Liverpool’s fifth summer signing, after Vivien Endemann, Sara Agrez, Mari Ward and Khiara Keating.

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Lionesses goalkeeper heading to Villa on a free transferMillie Turner moves to Birmingham City for £100,000Aston Villa have a deal in place to sign the former Everton goalkeeper Emily Ramsey on a free transfer, the Guardian can reveal.The 25-year-old has received a call-up by England in 2023 – as part of the squad that won that year’s invitational Arnold Clark Cup – and 2021 for a training camp, although is yet to earn a senior cap. Ramsey was a regular in England youth international sides throughout the age groups and is highly admired by Villa.Ramsey helped Manchester United win promotion to the Women’s Super League via the second-tier title in 2018-19 and spent three years on Everton’s books, after an initial loan spell there from United. Ramsey was also at Liverpool between 2017-18 but never played for the Merseyside club.Meanwhile, Birmingham City have announced the signing of Millie Turner from Manchester United for a fee understood to be in the region of £100,000. The 30-year-old centre-back played 189 times across eight years for United, helping them win the 2024 Women’s FA Cup.“This [Birmingham] is where I want to be,” said Turner. “The way that the girls fight for each other and play for each other, it’s something that I really want to be part of. It’s an exciting project and I think there’s no ceiling to what we can achieve here.”Paying tribute to Turner, Matt Johnson, United’s director of football, said: “Millie’s contribution has been immense, she is a great professional and a fantastic leader, and has played a vital role in everything we have achieved throughout the last eight years,.Elsewhere, Crystal Palace have confirmed the signing of the former Tottenham Hotspur captain Bethany England on a two-year deal, with the option for a further year. The Guardian reported earlier this week that the 32-year-old had agreed to join Palace on a free transfer.