Chelsea have completed the signing of Manchester United forward Melvine Malard, Sky Sports reported on Sunday, reuniting the France international with head coach Sonia Bompastor.T2 - Sky Sports
The fee is £750,000 and Malard has signed a four-year deal at Stamford Bridge.T2 - Sky Sports The 25-year-old had one year left on her contract at United, giving Chelsea room to move at a modest cost for a player who scored six times in the Women’s Super League and four times in the Champions League last season.T2 - Sky Sports
Sky Sports carried the completed deal on Sunday, citing Chelsea’s official website for the player’s first comments. The link to Bompastor is the through-line: the pair worked together at OL Lyonnes, where Malard was part of the squad that won the Champions League in 2022.T2 - Sky Sports
“I’m so happy because I have a plan for my life and my career, and Chelsea were a part of that plan,” Malard told Chelsea’s official website.T2 - Chelsea FC
The move takes Malard from one WSL side to a direct title rival. She joined United from Lyon initially on loan before making the switch permanent, and last season’s return of ten goals across league and Europe marked her out as one of the division’s more productive forwards. Her departure leaves Marc Skinner’s United light in attack with the WSL season approaching.
For Chelsea, the signing adds a France international to a forward line already stocked for Bompastor’s first full recruitment window in charge. The champions have been active across the summer, and Malard arrives with familiarity of the coach’s methods from their Lyon years.
Chelsea have confirmed the deal on their own channels. Still open is how Bompastor integrates Malard alongside her existing forwards, and whether United move in the market to replace her before the transfer window closes.
