• Signing in time for Champions League knockout stage
• Walsh deal follows world record fee for Naomi Girma

Chelsea are expected to confirm the signing of the England midfielder Keira Walsh from the European champions Barcelona on Friday, for a fee understood to be in the region of €550,000 (£440,000).

In one of the highest-profile deadline-day transfers in Women’s Super League history, Walsh completed a medical at Chelsea on Thursday and parties are very confident that the deal was completed in time for the 23:00 GMT deadline, as fans await official confirmation.

In the space of a dramatic 24 hours, the two clubs agreed on the fee overnight on Wednesday night before Walsh flew to London on Thursday, and the move is understood to have progressed without any late hitches.