Keira Walsh: Barcelona agree world-record fee with Man City - age, relationship, career highlights so far

Barcelona have agreed to pay a world-record fee with Manchester City for their midfielder, Keira Walsh.

It’s now believed that Walsh is free to discuss terms and arrange a medical with the club. There is confusion over the exact amount Barcelona have agreed to as some sources believe the amount to be £350k while others have suggested the deal will work out more costly in the long-term.

Walsh has been pursued by Barcelona all summer, but Manchester City have continued to reject their proposals. The 25-year-old is currently in the final year of her contract with City and is reportedly keen on the move.

The previous world record fee in the women’s game is Pernille Harder’s £300k move to Chelsea from Wolfsburg in September 2020.

However, these records are relatively subjective given the US deals involve allocation fees and trade assets meaning final fees are undisclosed.

If the deal is to go through, it must be done before 11pm BST on Wednesday 7 September which is the Spanish deadline for foreign deals and City will look for Walsh’s replacements before Thursday’s WSL transfer deadline.

Who is Keira Walsh?

Walsh was born in Rochdale in 1997 and played for her local side Pearson Juniors under-7 boys before joining Blackburn Rovers in their age group teams from under-12 through to under-17.

In February 2014, Walsh scored a hat-trick in just 13 minutes at the FA Girls’ Youth Cup quarter-final with their under-17 squad.

Walsh then went for WSL trials and was offered a place in Everton’s development squad but after attending Man City’s trials, the first team coach Nick Cushing asked her to sign with the main squad as their midfielder playmaker.

Cushing later said that Walsh has “the best football brain” of any player he has coached.

The 25-year-old midfielder has since gone on to make 118 league appearances for City after signing her first senior contract in 2015.

At the end of the season, the midfielder was then nominated for PFA Women’s Players’ Young Player of the Year award for the 2015/16 season.

Not only was Walsh an accomplished footballer when younger, but she was also ranked number 1 in Greater Manchester in U13 Badminton.

Keira Walsh’s international career

Walsh received her first international call-up for the England under-15 girls when she was just 12. She has since gone on to play at U17, U19 and U23 level as well as making 50 appearances for the senior squad.

With the senior squad, Walsh has won the 2019 SheBelieves Cup as well as the recent 2022 Women’s Euros competition where she was widely regarded as the unsung hero of the tournament. Walsh was also named Player of the Match for the Lionesses final against Germany.

She has been included in the recent 2023 FIFA World Cup qualification matches and is very likely to be the key playmaker for the Lionesses squad at the competition proper next year.

Who is Keira Walsh’s partner?

Recent reports have suggested that Keira Walsh is dating fellow Lioness and new Barcelona recruit Lucy Bronze.

Neither have made their relationship official to the public eye but have shared a series of pictures together on social media.

Bronze also signed from Manchester City earlier this summer after her contract expired with City in June. She is yet to make her debut for La Liga.