Mayra Ramirez: Chelsea sign Levante striker for British-record fee

Chelsea Women have signed Colombia striker Mayra Ramirez for a British-record fee of £385,000.

If the £43,000 in ad-ons are met then the fee would become a new world-record fee, surpassing the £400,000 that Barcelona paid for Keira Walsh from Man City.

Ramirez has impressed at Levante, scoring six goals in seven league games this season after netting 14 times last term, and has signed a four-and-a-half year deal.

Chelsea have been keen on signing a striker in this window after Sam Kerr suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury during a warm weather training camp in Morocco earlier this month.

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Chelsea's previous most expensive signing was Pernille Harder, who they signed for £250,000 in 2020.

Ramirez said: "I am very honoured to be a part of Chelsea. To be part of such a huge club is a dream come true and one I've had since I was a little girl."

General manager Paul Green added: "Mayra is a dynamic forward who can play anywhere across the front line. We have watched her develop in Spain over the last few years and believe her style is going to suit playing in England.

"She has great physicality, athleticism and a good goalscoring record. We're all excited with what she can bring to the squad now and in the long-term."

Ramirez has made 30 appearances for Colombia and helped her country reach the 2023 Women's World Cup quarter-finals where they were beaten by eventual runners-up England.

Chelsea hope she can fill the gap left by Kerr, who has been a talismanic figure for the Blues, scoring 58 times in 73 WSL games across four-and-a-half seasons and twice winning the top flight's Golden Boot during that time.

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Chelsea manager Emma Hayes had told reporters last week there was enough quality within her squad to replace the Australia striker before Lauren James hit a hat-trick on Saturday in a 3-1 win over Manchester United.

The Blues are set to recoup a significant amount of Ramirez's fee by allowing Jessie Fleming to leave for around £250,000 to sign for Portland Thorns, as first reported by The Telegraph.

Analysis: Strange for Kerr to have no further part in Hayes' final season

Sky Sports' Charlotte Marsh:

"For the most part, Chelsea have avoided the glut of ACL injuries that have plagued other teams around them, especially Arsenal and Manchester United. But now, they have lost one of their most important players to the dreaded knee injury.

"It means Kerr, who has been synonymous with Hayes' success at Chelsea over the last few years, will not be able to help the team win the trophies that would send the manager out on a high.

"The Champions League remains the one trophy Hayes has not won with the Blues, and Kerr has already scored five goals in four European games this season. She has been a key part of Chelsea's progress so far and it seems strange that if the Blues are to finally win the trophy, Kerr will have no further part.

"Add to that their defence of the WSL and FA Cup, plus their bid for another Conti Cup title, it's set to be a hectic final four months of the season and a less than ideal moment to lose a player of such quality.

"Kerr missed much of Australia's World Cup campaign last summer with injury and needed further recovery heading into the new campaign.

"But she has started in seven of her eight WSL appearances, with four goals and three assists, showing just how pivotal she remains to Chelsea's play, even when not at her free-scoring best.

"In the absence of another injured player - Blues captain Millie Bright - Kerr has taken on the captain's armband and they miss her leadership at the top end of the pitch."

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