Geyoro joins London City from PSG

Grace Geyoro scored 54 goals during her time at PSG

London City Lionesses have signed France international Grace Geyoro from Paris St-Germain.

Sources at the French club told BBC Sport the transfer fee was a new world record of £1.4m.

However on Friday afternoon Women's Super League side London City said the deal was not a record but would not disclose the fee paid.

"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," chief executive Martin Semmens told Talksport.

"It is a big deal - around the £1m mark - but not a world record sadly."

Managing director Sarah Batters later told 5 live: "For Paris St-Germain it's a huge player, it's a loss for them. She's coming over to England and it maybe helps their fans feel better about that, thinking they've made a world record fee from it, but it's not quite there."

The women's world record has been broken twice this summer.

Orlando Pride paid Tigres UANL £1.1m ($1.5m) to sign Mexico winger Lizbeth Ovalle last month.

Olivia Smith became the first £1m signing when she joined Arsenal from Liverpool in July.

Geyoro, 28, is London City's 16th permanent signing of a busy summer funded by wealthy American owner Michele Kang.

Capped 103 times by France, Geyoro has scored 22 goals for her country and played in two World Cups, two European Championships and the 2024 Olympics.

Since securing promotion, London City have signed several high-profile players including Jana Fernandez from Barcelona, Danielle van de Donk from Lyon, former Manchester United captain Katie Zelem and 74-cap England forward Nikita Parris.

Geyoro was their second signing in the final hours of the transfer window after they also activated Spain international Lucia Corrales' release clause and paid about £430,000 to sign her from Barcelona.

Corrales, who made her full Spain debut in March but was not called up for Euro 2025, joined London City on a four-year deal.

The 19-year-old was one of the first female graduates of Barcelona's renowned La Masia academy, making her Liga F and Champions League debuts in the 2022-23 campaign, before spending last season on loan at Sevilla.

Geyoro, meanwhile, joined PSG at the age of 15 and went on to play nearly 270 games for the club. She scored 54 goals, won three French Cups and was twice a runner-up in the Champions League.

London City face Arsenal on Saturday in their first WSL game, and Geyoro could make her debut on Sunday, 14 September at home to Manchester United.

'One of the best players on the planet'

London City manager Jocelyn Precheur worked with Geyoro for two years at PSG.

Speaking at a news conference after the deal was announced on Friday, the 43-year-old described Geyoro as "one of the best players on the planet".

"She has a wonderful career but she is still underestimated," said Precheur.

"I immediately knew it would be such a good opportunity for the club to have such a good player.

"We have a lot of young and talented players. The signing of a player like her is important for the balance of the squad.

"She is experienced and knows how I want to play. She knows the game perfectly so she will help the team a lot and how we want to play.

"I'm not surprised we had to pay a huge fee to have this sort of player."

'Statement signings raise eyebrows'

London City are the first team with no affiliation with a men's club to earn a place in the WSL and point to a possible new direction for women's football.

With Kang at the helm, the club is run very differently - operating in female sports markets and attracting independent sponsorships.

The Lionesses have been able to build a structure from scratch, with a board full of women's football expertise, and facilities specifically catered towards women.

Kang has used this as a negotiating tool and backed the team by investing in player salaries and transfer fees.

They broke the second-tier transfer record last year when they signed young forward Izzy Goodwin from Sheffield United for a six-figure fee and moving for Geyoro is a remarkable statement of intent.

She is a top-class midfielder, who not only elevates the team but will make others sit up and take notice of London City’s pull in the market.

There is the added element of it weakening PSG - a big rival to Lyon and one of the other clubs owned by Kang.

With so much talent coming into the side, expectation and pressure is likely to increase on London City manager Jocelyn Precheur, who worked with Geyoro at PSG.

He has dealt with a high turnover of players since arriving in 2024 and will be aware of the club's clear ambitions of becoming a Champions League team.

For the neutrals, London City are an explosive addition to the WSL - a side who are threatening to disrupt the usual order.