As the women’s club football transfer window enters its final 48 hours, top English side Manchester City has hit a major wall in its chase of Nigerian international midfielder Jennifer Echegini, with multiple bids for the 25-year-old turned down outright by French champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Regarded as a foundational member of PSG’s senior squad, Echegini remains deeply valued by the French club, multiple insider sources confirm. With 12 months still left to run on her existing contract, PSG has made it clear that selling the in-form playmaker is not on the table, even as interest from the Women’s Super League side persists.
Echegini’s connection to English football runs deep: the midfielder spent the majority of her youth development through English academy systems before launching her senior professional career. After a single season with Italian powerhouse Juventus, she made the move to PSG two years ago, and has since cemented her place as a key contributor to the club’s midfield. On the international stage, Echegini is a national hero for Nigeria: last year, she netted the decisive match-winning goal in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final against host Morocco, helping the Super Falcons claim an unprecedented 10th continental title, a record that extends their standing as the most dominant team in African women’s football.
For Manchester City, the timeline for completing a deal is razor-thin. The English transfer window closes this Thursday, just days before the new Women’s Super League campaign kicks off this weekend. The club’s push for new midfield reinforcement comes at a critical time: earlier this week, City confirmed that versatile midfielder and forward Vivianne Miedema will miss the opening stretch of the season after picking up a knee injury, leaving a gap in the club’s attacking and midfield options that Echegini was targeted to fill.
This is not the only outgoing transfer movement at PSG this window. Earlier this week, BBC Sport confirmed that Arsenal has reached a full agreement to sign French international defender Elisa de Almeida from the Parisian club, with sources in France pegging the transfer fee at roughly £550,000. De Aldeida is set to complete her move to London before the Thursday deadline, but remained available for selection for PSG’s key Women’s Champions League third qualifying round tie against Eintracht Frankfurt, held Wednesday evening, before departing for her new club.
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