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Oriane Jean-Francois has made 21 appearances for France Aston Villa have signed Chelsea midfielder Oriane Jean-Francois on a permanent deal for £450, 000. The 24-year-old joined Chelsea from Paris St-Germain in 2024 and the fee is a club record sale for the Blues. The France midfielder struggled to get regular game time at Chelsea, making 28 appearances, but will hope to play a key role for Villa. "This is another signing that strongly supports our ambitions as a club, " said Villa director of women's football Marisa Ewers. "Oriane impressed throughout the European Championships as a starter for France, consistently performing at the highest level. "We believe she will add immediate quality and further raise standards within the group. " Villa have shown ambition this season, bringing in Arsenal's Jenna Nighswonger on loan until the end of the season on Saturday. Natalia Arroyo’s side sit sixth in the Women's Super League with four wins and four draws from their opening 12 matches. They have an option to make the move permanent for defender Nighswonger. The 25-year-old, who was part of the USA squad that won Olympic gold at Paris 2024, has played only 16 minutes in the WSL this season. "We have been tracking her for some time and are delighted that she has bought into our exciting project, " added Ewers. "This signing forms part of our growing ambitions as we continue to build an exciting and competitive squad, and we believe Jenna will add real quality to the group. " Ben Haines, Ellen White and Jen Beattie are back for another season of the Women's Football Weekly podcast. New episodes drop every Tuesday on BBC Sounds, plus find interviews and extra content from the Women's Super League and beyond on the Women's Football Weekly feed Get the latest WSL news on our dedicated page Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Why Alonso's reign is over at Real Madrid NFL Play-Offs: Steelers face Texans in final Wildcard clash A 'weird' and 'incredible' error - but was Szoboszlai disrespectful? The Night Manager is back and the heat is on The Peep Show and Succession writer shares his desert island tracks The nightly lives of four bickering vampires How a Nasa-designed swimsuit rocked the 2008 Olympics Why Alonso's reign is over at Real Madrid 'I'd take him back in a heartbeat' - which players return to haunt their former clubs? 'PGA Tour faces huge dilemma over Koepka return' Are fans being turned off multi-club ownership model? 'They were in their kits behind the bar pouring their own pints' Which players could England turn to for 2027 Ashes? Non-league Macclesfield stun FA Cup holders Crystal Palace. Video Non-league Macclesfield stun FA Cup holders Crystal Palace Brosnan, Prince Naseem and the embrace that never happened Wrexham shock Forest in shootout after six-goal thriller. Video Wrexham shock Forest in shootout after six-goal thriller Why Man City have signed 'extraordinary' Semenyo 'Whoever signed off England's tour has to go' - Agnew column A warrior touched by tragedy - Terry Yorath obituary From Aronimink to Zalatoris - an A-Z of golf in 2026 Sporting highlights to look forward to in 2026 Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.