By Elliot Desage
Chelsea have been left scrambling after Monaco dramatically pulled out of their £47 million agreement to sell midfielder Lamine Camara on transfer deadline day.
The Senegal international had been lined up as the replacement for Enzo Fernández, who completed a £125m move to Manchester City.
A full agreement was reportedly reached, with Camara expected to sign a six-year contract – only for Monaco to reverse their decision after Folarin Balogun’s proposed move to Everton broke down.
The extraordinary sequence of events ultimately denied Chelsea the midfield replacement they thought they had secured.
‘Everything was done’
Sky Sports pundit Kaveh Solhekol has since provided a detailed account of Chelsea’s frustration and anger with the French club.
“Chelsea are really unhappy with the way Monaco behaved,” Solhekol said.
That anger appears to stem from Chelsea’s belief that this was not simply a negotiation which broke down.
According to Solhekol, the clubs had gone much further than that, with the paperwork effectively completed and the player preparing to travel to London.
“My information is everything was done – written, agreed, signed,” he explained.
That makes the late collapse particularly remarkable.
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Balogun decision crucial
Chelsea had already committed to selling Fernández to Manchester City and had seemingly secured Camara as the immediate answer to the open spot in midfield.
But the situation became even more bizarre when Monaco’s decision was linked to the changing circumstances around Balogun’s move to Everton.
Indeed, the Balogun situation was crucial to Monaco reconsidering the Camara deal.
Everton had been working on a deal for the former, and when the terms were renegotiated, the French club apparently felt more comfortable keeping Camara after all.
But Balogun reportedly experienced a change of heart and walked away from the Everton transfer after midnight, meaning Monaco, in the end, lost both deals.
It is a remarkable outcome for Chelsea, who had seemingly done everything necessary to bring Camara to Stamford Bridge.
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Chelsea left disappointed
From Chelsea’s perspective, the timing could hardly have been worse.
The club had allowed Fernández to leave for a British-record-equalling fee, confident that Camara would arrive as his replacement.
Instead, the Blues have been left with the money from Fernández but without the midfielder they had identified to fill the gap.
Solhekol added: “Chelsea don’t believe this is the way clubs should conduct business.”
However, this may not be the end of the saga, with football journalist Ben Jacobs telling Talksport that Liverpool called Monaco to hold up the deal as they may be interested in signing the midfielder in 2027.
For a transfer window already packed with huge deals, the Camara saga may be remembered as one of the strangest deadline-day twists of all.
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