Chelsea have signed Canadian midfielder Jessie Fleming in a three-year deal.

The 22 year-old joins the WSL club on her first professional contract as she was playing for UCLA Bruins, a football programme with the University of California Los Angeles.

She became the second-youngest player to play for Canada’s senior side when she debuted at the age of 15. Since then she has earned 77 caps and scored ten goals.

She said: "I knew I really wanted to play in the WSL, I think the league is doing really well right now and there is a ton of fantastic players in the league so that really excited me.

“For Chelsea it was the players here and I wanted to be in a challenging environment. Having conversations with Emma [Hayes] and learning a bit more about the team, I was just really excited about the environment and what it has to offer.”

She has represented Canada at both the 2015 and 2019 World Cups.

Chelsea boss Emma Hayes added: ‘Jessie is one of the top young players in the world, so for us to be able to sign her is a testament to the work that has been done here for a number of years. She chose Chelsea, this was her priority, her first choice and we were over the moon to get her.’

Fleming is the Blues’ third signing of the summer after they secured deals with German international Melanie Leupolz and former Liverpool player Niamh Charles.