London City Lionesses chief executive Martin Semmens has denied the club paid a world-record transfer fee for Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Grace Geyoro.
It had been reported the deal for the 28-year-old was worth £1.43m, beating the £1.1m paid by Orlando Pride to Tigres UANL for Mexico winger Lizbeth Ovalle last month.
However, Lionesses’ sources insist the deal is worth a figure of up to £1m including add-ons, which has been echoed by Semmens.
“It is a fantastic signing and a fantastic player, but the numbers are not quite right. I suspect those figures are more promoted from the other side,” he told talkSPORT.
“It is a big deal around the £1m mark but not a world record, sadly.”
Geyoro’s deal reflects the fact PSG did not want to sell her, but the 28-year-old was open to a move to the WSL this summer.
She had spent her entire career at the Premiere Club, making 250 appearances and scoring 50 goals since coming through their academy.
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London City Lionesses head coach Jocelyn Precheur describes Grace Geyoro as a ‘complete player’
London City Lionesses head coach Jocelyn Precheur worked with Geyoro at PSG and said: “Grace has so many qualities, technically and physically, but what people maybe don’t know is what she can bring to the changing room.
“She’s a complete player with a lot of experience and a player I know very well. It has been long talks during the summer to make this deal, but I’m very satisfied, I’m very happy and I’m looking forward to start working with her.”
Geyoro has finished as a runner-up in the Women’s Champions League twice and won the top flight once, plus lifted three French Cups.
Geyoro has also earned 103 caps for France and started three of their four matches at Euro 2025, scoring twice as they reached the quarter-finals.
Women’s Super League newcomers London City have signed several high-profile players this summer, including Jana Fernandez from Barcelona, Danielle van de Donk from Lyon, former Manchester United captain Katie Zelem and 74-cap England forward Nikita Parris.
On Thursday, they signed left-back Lucia Corrales from Barcelona for a fee of around £430,000 on a four-year deal.
However, London City were unable to agree a deal for Arsenal striker Beth Mead despite making a significant offer.
Precheur said: “I don’t have all the details of this deal. I talked with her and it was a pleasure to talk with such a wonderful player. After she made the decision to stay at Arsenal, I respect this choice and I respect this player.”
Sky Sports is the home of the WSL – what’s new this season?
As part of Sky’s new bumper rights partnership with the Women’s Super League, Sky Sports will broadcast 118 matches from the WSL every season, up more than three times from the number of games previously shown with 78 fixtures shown exclusively.
Sky Sports will celebrate a landmark WSL season with a new flagship programme dedicated to Sunday lunchtime kick-offs.
The show will offer a 60-minute build-up from 11am, featuring the latest breaking news from every ground, plus more behind-the-scenes content than ever before.
The Sky Sports app also makes it easier than ever to follow the action on mobile with vertical video highlights, match centres packed with scores and stats available for FREE to all fans, plus live streams for Sky Sports customers.
Free-to-watch match highlights from EVERY WSL game will continue to be served up on the Sky Sports website and App.
