Racheal Kundananji joins Bay FC from Madrid CFF on four-year deal in reported world record transfer
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ByOli Gent
Published 14/02/2024 at 17:57 GMT
Zambia striker Racheal Kundananji has joined Bay FC from Madrid CFF for a reported world record transfer fee in the women’s game, around €735,000. The figure smashes Chelsea's move for Mayra Ramirez, who signed for the Blues for €500,000. Kundananji has scored 35 goals in 46 games during her time in Madrid, and now she joins the NWSL's newest outfit.
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Racheal Kundananji, the Zambian forward, has joined Bay FC from Madrid CFF for a world record transfer fee in the women’s game.
Bay will pay €735,000 (£685,000), with a potential $75,000 in add-ons, smashing the previous €500,000 (£426,000) figure that took Mayra Ramirez to Chelsea from Levante two weeks ago.
Keira Walsh’s €470,000 (£400,000) move to Barcelona from Manchester City had stood as the world record for two years before Ramirez’s transfer to west London.
Kundananji has 35 goals in 46 games for Madrid, who sit third in Spain’s Liga F, and the 23-year-old has signed a four-year contract with the San Jose outfit.
She joins a Bay side looking to make a statement in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), after the club was only founded in April of last year.
Since then, Albertin Montoya has been named as the club’s head coach, and Caprice Dydasco, the right-back, was previously their statement signing back, with the 2021 defender of the year arriving in November.
Now, with Kundanaji’s signing, Bay are making their intentions clear, backed by Sixth Street Partners, as well as former San Francisco Giants executive Staci Slaughter, former Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg, and Golden State Warriors president and chief operating officer Rick Welts.
In the club's announcement, the club's General Manager Lucy Rushton said: "We are delighted to add Racheal to our group.
"She is a tremendous talent with dynamic attacking qualities and an incredible physical profile who has produced for both club and country.
"Racheal has a composure in front of goal and a natural ability to score with different types of finishes and from various locations. We believe she will continue to grow and develop at our club, showcasing her skillset and adding to the array of exciting attacking talent we have here.”
Austin Buchanan, Bay's Director of Scouting, added: “This is the culmination of a lot of work behind the scenes.
"Due to the club and ownership group’s continued support and drive to raise the bar across women’s sport, we are able to bring a true young talent like Racheal to the league. After what has been over a year’s worth of work seen come to fruition, I cannot wait to welcome Racheal to Bay FC and the NWSL.”
The NWSL season begins on March 16, when Bay make their bow away at Angel City.
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