Chelsea and Manchester United have agreed on a transfer fee for England striker Lauren James. The deal may be considered the most lucrative ever between two Women’s Super League clubs. James has already had her medical at Chelsea, with the two parties now discussing personal terms.
A major reason for the transfer was James desire to live closer to her family down south. Her brother Reece James plays for Chelsea’s men’s team.
James became United’s second-youngest player in history when she joined them from Arsenal in 2017. In her first season, she scored 14 goals and helped them win a promotion from the Championship. She scored the first goal of United’s Women’s Super League campaign, securing a 2-0 victory over Liverpool in September 2019.
The striker helped United secure a fourth-place finish in last year’s Women’s Super League, 10 points behind eventual champions Chelsea. As a young player, James represented England in U17 and U19 levels, and in November, she was called into the England senior training camp.
Chelsea men’s Reece James is aiming for a reunion with his sister at the women’s team, which won all three of its domestic trophies but lost to Barcelona in the Champions League final. As the top scorer for United, she was named the PFA Women’s Young Player of the Year for 2019-20.