Chelsea Women sign Giulia Dragoni from Barcelona in record deal for Italian football

Chelsea Women have completed the signing of Italy midfielder Giulia Dragoni from Barcelona, making the 19-year-old the most expensive Italian player in women's football history.

The London club announced the move on Friday, with Dragoni signing a four-year contract that runs until 2030. Barcelona will receive €500,000 plus bonuses for the playmaker, a record fee for Italian women's football. The deal underlines Chelsea's ambition as they prepare to chase more silverware: the club have won seven of the last nine English league titles and are the most decorated side in the country.

Dragoni, born in 2006, came through the youth ranks at Pro Sesto before joining Inter in 2020, making her senior debut shortly after her 16th birthday. Her performances caught the eye of Barcelona, who signed her in January 2023, making her the youngest foreign player ever to debut for the Catalan club. In the same year she broke into the senior Italy squad, starting three matches at the World Cup aged just 16, the second-youngest player at the tournament. She now has 25 caps for her country.

After establishing herself in Barcelona's first team during the quadruple-winning 2023/24 season, when she also collected the Best Italian Golden Girl award at 17, Dragoni spent two seasons on loan at Roma. She helped the Giallorosse win the 2025 scudetto and then defend the title last term, contributing seven goals and four assists.

In a statement, Dragoni said she still could not believe she had signed for Chelsea, a club she had dreamed of joining as a child. She added that head coach Sonia Bompastor had presented the club's project to her, and that Chelsea's status as one of the best sides in the world had made her decision straightforward.

Sources

• Tuttomercatoweb — "Chelsea, arriva Giulia Dragoni dal Barcellona. Quadriennale per l'azzurra"
• ANSA — "Giulia Dragoni al Chelsea Women, è l'italiana più pagata di sempre"