Midfielder Jessie Fleming is leaving Chelsea and joining the NWSL’s Portland Thorns for a record transfer fee, according to multiple reports Wednesday.
The Telegraph reported that the Thorns will pay $320,000 to acquire the 25-year-old, who will part ways with Chelsea on Monday.
After joining Chelsea in 2020, Fleming helped the club win three Women’s Super League championships, three FA Cup titles and the Conti Cup in 2021. She also had a goal for Canada during the 2021 Olympic final, which Canada won in penalty shootout against Sweden.
News of the acquisition comes one day after the Thorns signed defender Becky Sauerbrunn, who helped the U.S. women’s national team to World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019, to a one-year extension. Sauerbrunn has spent the past four years with Portland and helped the club capture the 2022 NWSL title.
–Field Level Media