But reports suggest Barcelona could surpass that to sign Manchester City and England midfielder Keira Walsh.

"It's good for women's football to get the money rolling," said Harder, 29.

"I'm happy that it will keep getting higher. That's what I wanted. I wanted to start something new."

Until recently, it had been almost unheard of for female players to leave clubs under contract unless there was a mutual agreement to terminate it early.

This is in contrast to the men's game, where this summer's transfer window set a new Premier League spending record of about £1.9bn.

However, this summer has seen several Women's Super League clubs buy players out of contract - including the arrival of England's Rachel Daly at Aston Villa.

"For sure it's a good development for women's football - that players don't have to play their contracts out," added Harder.

"They can actually get sold and the clubs can actually get something out of the players, so it's a development."

Earlier in the summer, Manchester City turned down a six-figure offer for midfielder Walsh from Spanish champions Barcelona.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are reported to have had a world-record bid of over £425,000

for France midfielder Grace Geyoro rejected by Paris Saint-Germain last week.

The WSL transfer window closes on Thursday with the cut-off for domestic deals at 17:00 BST and midnight for international signings.