$862,000 — the amount Bay FC paid to Madrid CFF to acquire Racheal Kundananji. More than just a statement signing for the 14th NWSL expansion side, it marked a landmark moment for the American women’s league, which, only days earlier, had also seen Barbra Banda arrive at Orlando Pride from Shanghai Shengli in a $740,000 deal. Yet it didn’t take long for its fiercest rivals — the WSL and other European leagues — to reassert dominance in the transfer market.

From Brazil’s Tarciane leaving Houston Dash for Lyon in a $960,000 move, to USWNT defender Naomi Girma briefly claiming the world-record tag with her $1,100,000 switch from San Diego Wave to Chelsea in January 2025, the pace of big-money transfers has been relentless. More recently, even Girma’s milestone was surpassed as Liverpool star Olivia Smith joined Arsenal last month in a first-ever million-pound deal — worth more than $1,300,000 — making her the most expensive player in the women’s game.

Then again, as the saying goes, records are meant to be broken. Orlando Pride appear determined to do just that, reportedly positioning themselves to challenge the Olivia Smith benchmark with a major move of their own. At least the sources close to ESPN said so on Monday that the Florida-based club is in “advanced talks” to sign Tigres UANL winger Lizbeth Ovalle and bring her to the NWSL for a world-record transfer fee in women’s soccer.

Another esteemed source told ESPN that the defending NWSL champions have almost finished the transfer with the Liga MX’s Femenil side for a reported fee of somewhere around $1,500,000. Then again, multiple reports in Mexico have been circulating that the deal for Ovalle could go as high as $2 million. This will certainly make it not only the most expensive transfer in NWSL history, or the entire women’s game, but Lizbeth will be the first overall Mexican player — male or female — to hold this honor.

Notably, once the deal is officially confirmed, Tigres will receive a 10% sell-on clause. Rest assured, a significant financial boost for the Mexican side is guaranteed by the overall $1.5 to $2 million transfer fee, which apparently will be paid in installments, spread evenly across the three guaranteed years of the 25-year-old’s contract.

This is because the NWSL imposes a $550,000 annual cap on team transfer spending. Earlier this year, Orlando gained extra room to maneuver by selling Brazilian midfielder Adriana to Saudi club Al Qadsiah FC for $500,000 — a fee structured over two years that provided the Pride additional transfer flexibility.

Surprisingly, Lizbeth Ovalle was also linked with a special move to Barcelona. However, those rumors were quickly shut down, considering the Spanish giants are struggling quite significantly on the financial front. No wonder that, aside from Orlando Pride, similar sources confirmed the interest of other NWSL suitors, half a dozen, to be precise.

Then again, it seems it’s the Pride who managed to achieve a significant breakthrough in an attempt to lure her away from Tigres, of course, for the obvious reasons.

Lizbeth Ovalle just might be the boost that Orlando Pride needs!

The soon-to-be Orlando Pride star is indeed a talent that any team would love to have in their ranks. Having begun her professional journey with Tigres in 2017, Lizbeth Ovalle has managed to secure six Liga MX Femenil titles since then, even currently vying for a potential seventh too, as the Mexican giants sit comfortably at third with a tally of just 16 in their domestic table.

She has even won three Campeon de Campeonas trophies with Tigres. Meanwhile, as for her international exposure, Lizbeth has earned over 50 appearances and was even named to the Best XI at last year’s Concacaf W Gold Cup. In the 2024 edition, where Mexico reached the semifinals, the winger grabbed attention by scoring a stunning opening goal in a historic 2-0 win over the U.S. women’s national team.

Now, Lizbeth Ovalle is set to take her talents to the next level with Orlando Pride, who currently sit third in the NWSL table with a record of 8W-4D-4L. Her arrival is expected to provide the attacking boost the club has been seeking alongside stars like Barbra Banda and Marta.