Liverpool striker Olivia Smith is set to join Arsenal in a world-record £1million deal.
All agreements are in place with the deal set to be announced within the next 24 hours.
The 20-year-old was Liverpool Women’s top scorer last season with seven goals after joining from Sporting Lisbon in July 2024 for a club record fee of €250,000 (£212,000).
Arsenal’s bid of £1m ($1.36m) exceeds the previous record fee set by Chelsea when they signed USWNT defender Naomi Girma from the San Diego Wave for $1.1m in January.
Liverpool had finished fourth in the Women’s Super League (WSL) and Matt Beard had been named manager of the year when she signed. They could not replicate this success last season as the side finished seventh and Beard was sacked in February.
“Even back then (when I was a child), I swear, I wanted to win a Ballon d’Or one day,” she said to The Athletic in November 2024 . “I wanted to play in a World Cup, in an Olympics, to play for my national team.
“I could see myself meeting my idols and playing against them.”
Her longstanding ambition complements her move to Arsenal, who claimed their second Champions League title last season with victory over eight-time champions OL Lyonnes in the semi-final and a 1-0 win over Barcelona in the Lisbon final.
Arsenal finished second in the WSL last season behind unbeaten Chelsea, and have been active in the transfer window this summer, making Chloe Kelly’s loan deal permanent from Manchester City, while Smith’s Liverpool teammate Taylor Hinds also joined Renee Slegers’ side following the expiration of her contract in Merseyside.
In 2019 Smith became the youngest ever player to play for Canada, at 15 years old and 94 days, in a 4-0 loss to Brazil.
She has made 16 appearances for the nation’s senior team, scoring three and assisting three, and was named Canada Soccer’s Young Player of the Year in 2024.
(Photo: Jess Hornby/Getty Images)