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.
Monaco have pulled out of the deal to sell Lamine Camara to Chelsea – who feel the French club have acted in an extraordinary and deeply unprofessional way. Camara was set to join Chelsea for £47m and was to sign a six-year deal pending a medical. Just after the 11pm transfer deadline passed, news emerged that Monaco reneged on the agreement they had with Chelsea, and they had informed the Blues of their decision in writing. There was a full written club-to-club agreement with Chelsea to complete the Camara deal.
How the Deal Unraveled on Deadline Day
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. The reason for Monaco pulling out was that they had successfully renegotiated the deal to sell Folarin Balogun to Everton.
Monaco are keen to retain Camara, despite late interest from the London-based club. Having sold Maghnes Akliouche and Aladji Bamba for big fees already this summer, and with Folarin Balogun nearing a €50m move to Everton, Les Monégasques are not in a position where they must sell the midfielder. Filipe Luís is particularly keen on retaining the young Senegalese midfielder, who excelled in Monaco’s 2-0 win over Olympique de Marseille on Sunday. However, it could be a tense few hours in the Principality. Whilst Chelsea’s attention is currently on securing a deal to sign Koné, Camara remains an option for the Blues. Much will also depend on Manchester City’s pursuit of Fernandez.
The Domino Effect of Enzo Fernandez’s Departure
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. Chelsea had the option of pulling the plug on Fernandez’s move to Man City after the Camara deal had collapsed, but they stuck to their word and honoured their commitment to complete the deal.
A Busy Summer Window and the Squad Balance
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.
Who has left Chelsea on Deadline Day? Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez has completed a season-long loan move to Serie A side Como. The goalkeeper had been bumped down to Stamford Bridge following the arrival of Emi Martinez from Aston Villa. Elsewhere, midfielder Dario Essugo has completed a season-long loan move to sister club Strasbourg. Essugo was of interest to Hull in this window. Striker Deivid Washington has completed a permanent transfer to Strasbourg. He signed from Santos for £17.1m three years ago but made only three appearances. Forward Dujuan Richards has also joined Wimbledon on a season-long loan. Meanwhile, Chelsea striker Shim Mheuka has arrived in Glasgow ahead of his loan move to Celtic, who are also working to finalise a deal for Chelsea left-back Landon Emenalo.
