Manchester City secure Khadija Shaw in landmark contract deal
The four-year agreement, signed during the Women’s Super League victory parade, features a base salary of £1 million with guaranteed add-ons pushing total earnings to between £1.6 million and £1.7 million annually.
Manchester City have finalised a new four-year contract with Jamaican striker Khadija Shaw, securing the services of the 2025/26 season’s domestic double winner and establishing her as the highest-paid women’s footballer in the world. The agreement was officially signed on Monday morning during the club’s Women’s Super League victory parade, concluding a period of intense negotiation that saw the club’s board navigate complex financial sustainability requirements.
Under the terms of the deal, Shaw will receive a base annual salary of £1 million ($1.4 million). Guaranteed add-ons are expected to raise her total earnings to between £1.6 million and £1.7 million ($2.3 million) per year, excluding performance-related bonuses. According to reports from The Athletic, Shaw’s total yearly package could exceed £1.7 million if specific performance targets are met.
The contract represents a significant escalation from initial offers made by Chelsea, which exceeded £1 million annually. However, Chelsea declined to enter a bidding war after Manchester City improved their offer in the days leading up to the parade. The Athletic noted that negotiations had been stilted by concerns from the City board regarding the reshaping of the wage structure around a single player and the precedent such a high-value deal might set for the wider squad.
Shaw’s retention follows a pivotal contribution to City’s success in the 2025/26 season, where she scored 14 goals in her final 10 appearances and netted the opening goal in the FA Cup final victory over Brighton. Her season total of 26 goals and seven assists underscores her importance to the team. City manager Andree Jeglertz praised Shaw’s professionalism throughout the contract saga, noting that her attitude never affected her on-field performance.
The signing occurs against the backdrop of new Financial Sustainability Regulations (FSR) introduced by WSL Football, which cap total player wage bills at 80 per cent of a club’s standalone revenue. City’s most recent accounts for the 2024-25 season showed a total revenue of £10.8 million and a net loss of £2.8 million, with total expenditure ranking third among 17 clubs in the WSL and WSL2. The club’s previous contract with Shaw, signed in 2021 and extended in May 2023, was set to expire this summer.
