REPORT: CanWNT's Olivia Smith set to join Arsenal in women's football record £1M transfer

Canadian women's national team star Olivia Smith is set to make history, as the Guardian reported Thursday that she will be moving to Arsenal from Liverpool for a jaw-dropping £1 million fee.

The move would break the previous women's football transfer record of $1.1 million USD (approximately £811,000) paid by Chelsea for Naomi Girma earlier this year, making Smith the most valuable women's football player in history. According to the Guardian, Liverpool rejected multiple prior offers from Arsenal before finally agreeing to sell Smith for the world-record figure.

Smith, a 20-year-old native of North York, Ont., has been at Liverpool just one year. She joined the club last July from Portuguese side Sporting CP for what was reported to be a Liverpool-record fee of £200,000. Smith scored seven goals in the Women's Super League last season, making her Liverpool's top scorer as they finished seventh.

Since making her senior international debut in 2019 (as Canada's youngest ever debutant, aged 15 years and 94 days), Smith has made 18 appearances for Canada, scoring four goals. She was part of Canada's squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, at the age of just 18.

Arsenal are the current reigning UEFA Women's Champions League winners and recently finished second in the Women's Super League table.