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France defender is club’s sixth signing of the summerCoach Ho says she is aggressive and good on the ballTottenham have signed the France defender Alice Sombath from Lyonnes for a club record fee. The price paid for the 22-year-old has not been disclosed but the previous club record, paid for Signe Gaupset in January, was reportedly more than £375,000.“The league is very competitive, every game is a tough game and that’s what I’m most excited about,” said Sombath. “I saw that Spurs had a very good season last year. My qualities can bring something to the team, even though I know they already have a lot.”Sombath spent six years at the eight-time European champions Lyonnes, signing her first professional contract with the club after she was signed from Paris Saint-Gemain in 2020.She won the Champions League in her second season, featuring twice and being on the bench in the final, and won five league titles and two Coupe de France titles.Tottenham’s head coach, Martin Ho, said the defender “fits the profile of what we’re building”. “She has already shown real maturity in her performances, and we believe she has all the qualities to continue developing into a top player within our environment,” he said.“Alice is an aggressive defender who is comfortable in possession, competitive in her duels, and has the ambition to keep improving every day. Those characteristics are really important to us, and we’re excited to help her take the next step in her career while strengthening the squad.”Sombath is Spurs’s sixth signing of the summer, after Shekiera Martinez, Kirsty Hanson, Victoria Pelova, Caitlin Dijkstra and Selma Panengstuen.It is understood the club are delighted to have got these deals done early, allowing for a full pre-season, and that Sombath’s recruitment means they have secured the services of their six priority targets.Tottenham finished an impressive fifth in the WSL last season after a disappointing 11th place the preceding season. They were four points behind fourth-placed Manchester United but 19 behind the league winners, Manchester City.

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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.

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Fee for forward could be as high as £850,000The 26-year-old has one year remaining on contractChelsea are closing in on a deal to sign the France forward Melvine Malard from Manchester United for a fee that would be a club-record sale.It is understood the transfer fee could be as high as approximately £850,000, although some sources have suggested the deal will be closer to £750,000. The discussions are understood to be at the final stage and the move is expected to go through.United attempted to agree a new contract with Malard, who has one year remaining on her existing deal, but it became clear that the forward’s desire was to seek a new challenge. United then did not wish to lose a high-value player on a free transfer next summer.Sources have indicated that United will reinvest the transfer fee into the team and Marc Skinner’s side will likely be busy in the transfer market, which is open until 3 September.Malard is understood to have been a key target for Chelsea and they have tracked the former Lyon player for an extended period. The 26-year-old has previously played under the Chelsea manager, Sonia Bompastor, at Lyon and is understood to be looking forward to reuniting with the Frenchwoman. The two have a friendship that has lasted for more than a decade, since the coach encouraged her to swap the island of Réunion for Lyon as a youngster.For Chelsea the move for Malard will strengthen their attacking options in a summer when they have also agreed a new contract for the England forward Aggie Beever-Jones.Malard scored four Champions League goals last term to help United reach a maiden European quarter-final, as well as six times in the WSL in 18 starts. She was also part of the France squad that reached the knockout stages of Euro 2025 last summer.Elsewhere, Arsenal have signed the 19-year-old Germany youth international forward Lisa Baum from the Bundesliga side RB Leipzig. Born in Tanzania, Baum moved to Germany aged four and has been a regular in their age-group sides.“This league is so competitive and Arsenal is a big club, so I’m excited to challenge myself and compete with the best,” Baum told Arsenal’s club website. “I want to win trophies and develop my game, and Arsenal feels like the perfect match to achieve that.”Everton have completed the signing of the France under-23 forward Noémie Mouchon on a free transfer from the recently relegated Leicester City. The 23-year-old told Everton’s website: “I am a fast player and I love to score goals, so I can’t wait. I just want to score a lot with Everton. That’s my only objective.”Everton’s technical director, Nick Cox, added: “We are really pleased to strengthen our attacking options with the signing of Noémie. Unsurprisingly for a player of her talent, she was wanted by other clubs but was keen to sign for Everton and help us to progress.”