Chelsea's new No.9! Melvine Malard swaps Man Utd for Blues in bumper deal as Sonia Bompastor's side bounce back from Khadija Shaw, Felicia Schroder & Salma Paralluelo snubs

Malard's move was first reported last week, before the official announcement was made on Monday. The financial details of the transfer have caught the eye especially. Different outlets reported different fees but it is understood that, at the very minimum, Chelsea have paid £750,000 ($1m) for the 26-year-old, who signs a four-year deal with the Blues. Various reports suggest that could rise to anywhere between £850,000 ($1.13m) and £1m ($1.33m), too.

The lowest of those numbers makes Malard at least the 11th most expensive signing in the history of the women's game, meaning that while it is a serious blow for Man Utd to lose a key player, it's understandable that they were willing to agree to such a deal with a Women's Super League rival.

Speaking upon the announcement of her arrival, Malard said: "I'm so happy because I have a plan for my life and my career, and Chelsea were a part of that plan. It is a great club and a big club so I am very excited to get started. I have played against Chelsea a lot of times and have always lost so I know the team have good players. And I have known Sonia since I was 14 years old, so it is great to work with her again.

"My objective is to become better every single day and to win trophies. I know Chelsea always have that as an objective and I have that ambition too. I am also really looking forward to playing at Stamford Bridge on a regular basis. The atmosphere is incredible and the pitch is close to the fans, so you really feel their energy. I love that."

Bompastor was at Lyon when she first saw Malard and encouraged the forward, who was born and raised on the small island of Reunion, off the east coast of Madagascar, to move to France and sign for OL's academy. Bompastor was successful in her aim and she would eventually coach Malard in the first team at the club, taking over as head coach in 2021, four years after the forward made her senior debut.

That intense knowledge and belief in the player's game clearly played a part in the fee Chelsea have paid for Malard, who has been very good at Man Utd since joining them from Lyon in 2023, but without putting up the sort of numbers one might expect from a player who has commanded such a big price.

Still, Chelsea needed attacking reinforcements, with Kerr and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd leaving in the summer transfer window after Catarina Macario and Guro Reiten departed before the end of the 2025-26 season. Malard has predominantly played as a wide player since her senior breakthrough, including under Bompastor at Lyon, but she can also play as a central striker if needed.

The Blues have been pushing to sign a centre forward in this transfer window, but came up short in their pursuits of Khadija Shaw, who renewed with Manchester City, Felicia Schroder, who signed for Real Madrid, and Salma Paralluelo, the more versatile of the three options who is still on the market as a free agent after leaving Barcelona. Whether Malard operates centrally or remains out wide, time will tell. She will wear the No.9 shirt for her new club, as she did for United.

It's been a slow start to the summer transfer window for Man Utd, who have only brought in one new face in young defender Andrea Medina. The frustration that lack of recruitment has caused among fans is now increasing as various first-team players leave, with Malard's exit coming off the back of the departures of Millie Turner and Lisa Naalsund, who both signed for newly-promoted Birmingham City last week.

United wanted to agree a new deal with Malard, whose contract was set to expire next summer, but with that conclusion unable to be reached, obtaining a bumper fee for the forward is good business. Still, the club needs to reinvest those funds effectively if the Red Devils want to be in contention at the top of the WSL next season, having finished nine points off the European places in the 2025-26 campaign.