Lamine Camara Focused on Monaco After Chelsea Transfer Collapse

Lamine Camara insists he has “turned the page” on his collapsed £47.1m move to Chelsea and is now locked in on Monaco’s Ligue 1 campaign.

The 22-year-old midfielder had gone as far as completing a medical with the Premier League club before the transfer dramatically fell apart in the final hours of the window. Chelsea had already seen two offers rejected, with Monaco holding firm until a chaotic final stretch of the market.

As the deadline approached, Monaco softened their stance and lowered their asking price for Camara, with the club under pressure to secure at least one major sale. At the same time, uncertainty swirled around Folarin Balogun’s proposed move to Everton, a deal Monaco were prioritising.

For a brief spell it looked as though Camara would be the one sacrificed. Then Balogun’s transfer to Everton appeared back on track, and Monaco seemed ready to block Camara’s exit and push through the striker’s sale instead.

In the end, nothing moved. Both Camara and Balogun stayed.

“There was a possibility I could leave,” Camara said ahead of Monaco’s game against Strasbourg on Saturday. “It didn’t go through at the last minute and that’s part of football. I’ve turned the page and am focusing on the season.”

Sources in France had indicated Monaco needed to cash in on at least one key asset this summer and would rather have sold Balogun than lose their Senegal international midfielder. Inside the club, the message for weeks had been clear: it would take a “substantial fee” to prise Camara away.

On the pitch, Monaco have handled the turbulence with authority. They opened the season with three straight Ligue 1 wins and went into the weekend second in the table behind Rennes, with a game in hand.

“I can help the team a lot,” Camara said. “Football moves fast. Maybe other opportunities will come along. But for now, I’m staying focused on the season with Monaco.”

The transfer door slammed shut. The title race is still wide open.