Orlando Pride to break women’s transfer record with $1.5m Lizbeth Ovalle deal | Women’s football

Lizbeth Ovalle is expected to join the pride of Orlando from Mexico City Uanl on record transfer fees of $ 1.5 million (1.1 million pounds Sterling), a person knowing the negotiations said on Wednesday.

The agreement is expected to be concluded by the transfer date of the National League for Women’s Football on Monday. The person spoke under the cover of anonymity because the agreement had not yet been officially signed.

The transfer fees exceed the costs of $ 1.3 million (£ 1 M) paid Liverpool for Canadian striker Olivia Smith in the English female super League last month. This broke the previous record fees of 1.1 million dollars that Chelsea paid for the San Diego wave for the Naomi Girma defender in January. It also exceeds the previous Orlando Pride record for an incoming transfer, the club having paid $ 740,000 to Shanghai Shengli in what was then the second highest female transfer fees.

Oval, a 25 -year -old winger who placed No. 86 on the list of female footballers from the Guardian Top 100, led Liga MX Femenil tigers to six titles since her debut with the club in 2017. She is the marker of all time of the team with 136 goals.

She also made 58 appearances for the Mexican national team with 20 goals, after making her senior debut in 2018. She turned her head in the United States last year, marking a well placed chip to put Mexico before the United States in W Gold Cup. She finished as a second top scorer in this tournament and was appointed to the best XI of the competition.

Nicknamed Maga (the magician), Ovalle is well known in the region for her confidence, her flair and her daring objectives’ capacity. She has become viral on social networks this year with a so-called “Scorpion Kick” goal, facing the net, in a tiger match against Guadalajara.

She will join one of the best NWSL teams in Orlando City, the title champions of the NWSL and the winners of the shield. Pride is currently third in the league painting, 12 points behind the Kansas City Current flight leaders, but still has a lot of stars power. Ovalle will join a unit of attack which this year includes Banda and Brazil Marta, and will likely play a leading role in the team in the future. Orlando will lose the Ally Watt midfielder against the NWSL expansion team, Denver Summit FC, to come the offseason, the Colorado team had lent it to Orlando for the rest of 2025.

Oval could theoretically be online for a start with its new team on Friday August 29 v Gotham FC. The team has eight other NWSL matches in the regular season after this point, plus four games in the group phase of the CONCACAF W. Champions Cup.