Lamine Camara will be staying at Monaco after the Senegal midfielder’s £47.1m move to Chelsea collapsed. The 22-year-old had already completed a medical with Chelsea but his switch fell through shortly after the 23:00 BST deadline. They had two bids rejected by the Ligue 1 side before Monaco eventually lowered their asking price when Folarin Balogun’s move to Everton came […]
Lamine Camara will be staying at Monaco after the Senegal midfielder’s £47.1m move to Chelsea collapsed.
The 22-year-old had already completed a medical with Chelsea but his switch fell through shortly after the 23:00 BST deadline.
They had two bids rejected by the Ligue 1 side before Monaco eventually lowered their asking price when Folarin Balogun’s move to Everton came into renewed doubt.
Chelsea made their move for Camara in an attempt to bolster midfield options with Enzo Fernandez closing in on a joint-British transfer record £125m switch to Manchester City.
They had also held talks with Roma’s Manu Kone and another unnamed Premier League option.
One of the club’s aims this summer was to emerge from the transfer window with a stronger squad despite selling Fernandez to a direct rival.
Chelsea believe they have achieved that after signing Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa in a club-record £117m deal, centre-back Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace and, most recently, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez from Aston Villa.
The club have also recruited strikers Emmanuel Emegha and Danny Welbeck, winger Geovany Quenda, midfielders Jordan Henderson and Valentin Barco, as well as full-backs Marco Palestra and Pep Chavarria.
Alonso’s side have won all three of their matches this season, beating Fulham and Brighton in the Premier League, and have also reached the third round of the Carabao Cup with victory over Luton Town.
Chelsea left furious and dumbfounded
Sources at Chelsea expressed frustration and anger after the transfer deadline passed.
The club believed its move for Camara was effectively complete after agreeing a fee with Monaco, conducting a medical and reaching agreement on personal terms.
However, Chelsea say they were informed in writing by Monaco that the deal would not proceed.
No explanation has been given, although sources with knowledge of the situation believe the development may be linked to Everton’s proposed move for United States international striker Balogun.
Everton maintained throughout deadline day that talks were ongoing despite reports casting doubt over Balogun’s medical.
While some reports suggested the deal was off, Chelsea made progress in negotiations for Camara having previously struggled to reach an agreement with Monaco.
Sources in France had stated Monaco needed to make a major sale this summer and preferred to sell Balogun. A source at the Ligue 1 club had previously indicated it would take a “substantial fee” to secure Camara’s departure.
Camara featured in Monaco’s 2-0 win over Marseille on Sunday evening, while Balogun was left out of the squad.
Yet, when doubts emerged over Balogun’s proposed move, Monaco’s asking price for Camara appeared to fall, making a move to Chelsea more achievable at £47m.
Once Balogun’s transfer appeared to be back on track, Monaco seemed more willing to generate funds through the striker’s departure than by selling Camara.
As a result, Chelsea’s hopes of ending the transfer window with a late signing were left frustrated.
Monaco have been contacted for comments but not yet responded.
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