A source linked to both Chelsea and Monaco said the clubs “played with fire and got burned,” a fitting summary of a frantic late-night saga involving Folarin Balogun, Everton, Monaco, Lamine Camara, and Chelsea that left everyone empty-handed.
Chelsea had targeted 22-year-old Senegal midfielder Lamine Camara as they prepared to sell Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City for £125m. Monaco, however, refused to accept the fee Chelsea were offering. Sporting director Thiago Scuro said he had been in talks for 10 days and, when Chelsea called around 16:00 BST on deadline day, Monaco again said no. Monaco had already allowed US striker Balogun, 25, to travel to Merseyside for a £40m move to Everton, and Camara had agreed to remain in Ligue 1.
With three hours left in the window, Chelsea felt set in midfield after unsuccessful approaches for Camara and Roma’s Manu Kone. But concerns flagged during Balogun’s Everton medical reopened the door. Seeing an opening, Chelsea returned to Monaco, who, needing funds, agreed to resume talks. Negotiations restarted at 20:00 BST and a £47m fee for Camara was quickly settled.
Everton, unable to find a Balogun alternative, revived their deal minutes before the deadline. Chelsea, having completed all Camara paperwork, did not require a Premier League deal sheet. Even so, Monaco pulled out; they concede Camara was disappointed after speaking with manager Xabi Alonso, passing a medical, and signing a contract to 2033. Scuro said that around 22:00 BST Everton confirmed there was no medical problem and were ready to sign Balogun, prompting Monaco to tell Chelsea the Camara transfer was off “because that’s part of the game.”
Chelsea were left furious, saying Monaco informed them in writing rather than by phone. Monaco believed that, by filing a deal sheet five minutes before the 23:00 BST deadline to give Everton extra time on Balogun, they had secured the sale needed to help meet Uefa financial rules. The club had been under pressure to generate €150m in player sales this summer and had reached €106m.