Barcelona Rejects Arsenal's World-Record £930,000 Bid for Keira Walsh

In a significant development in women’s football, Barcelona has rejected a world-record £930,000 bid from Arsenal for England midfielder Keira Walsh. The bid was made late in the Women’s Super League (WSL) transfer window, but Barcelona, who are the reigning European champions, were unwilling to part with the 27-year-old player.

Walsh, who has a year remaining on her contract with Barcelona, is reportedly set to leave the club on a free transfer next summer, having already informed the club of her decision not to renew. Despite this, Barcelona’s stance remains firm, and they are not open to selling her at this time.

The transfer window for Spain’s Liga F closes on Monday, giving Barcelona a tight timeframe to find a replacement if they choose to sell Walsh. The WSL window, however, closed on Friday at 23:00 BST.

Walsh was signed by Barcelona in 2022 for a then-world record fee of £400,000 from Manchester City. Since then, Zambia’s Racheal Kundananji has broken that record with her transfer to Bay FC in February for £685,000.

Barcelona’s coach, Pere Romeu, emphasized Walsh’s importance to the team. “There’s no case for Keira leaving. She’s been with us throughout pre-season and is a key player,” Romeu said. Walsh started Barcelona’s opening home game of the season on Friday, contributing with an assist in their 3-1 victory over Real Sociedad.

With her current contract nearing its end and Barcelona’s reluctance to let her go, the future of Walsh remains a point of significant interest in the football world.