Lamine Camara Focused on Monaco After Chelsea Transfer Drama
Lamine Camara insists he has “turned the page” on his collapsed move to Chelsea and is locking back in on Monaco’s Ligue 1 campaign after a chaotic end to the transfer window.
The 22-year-old midfielder had undergone a medical ahead of a proposed £47.1m switch to Stamford Bridge, only for the deal to fall apart in the final hours before the deadline.
Two earlier bids from Chelsea had already been knocked back, with Monaco holding firm on their valuation. As the window ticked towards its close, the situation twisted again. Monaco, needing at least one major sale this summer, softened their stance and lowered the asking price for Camara during a frantic final stretch that also involved Folarin Balogun’s proposed move to Everton.
For a spell, it looked like Camara would be the one sacrificed. Then the Balogun deal wobbled. When that transfer seemed to be back on track, Monaco appeared ready to reverse course and keep their Senegal international midfielder. In the end, the club did neither: both Camara and Balogun stayed put in the Principality.
“There was a possibility I could leave,” Camara said, speaking 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 were under pressure to make a significant sale, with a preference to move on Balogun rather than Camara. Inside the club, the message had long been that it would take a “substantial fee” to prise Camara away.
On the pitch, Monaco have started with purpose. Three wins from three in Ligue 1 have put them second behind Rennes with a game in hand going into the weekend, and Camara is determined to make sure the aborted transfer does not derail that momentum.
“I can help the team a lot,” the Senegal international said. “Football moves fast. Maybe other opportunities will come along. But for now, I’m staying focused on the season with Monaco.”
The window drama is over. The audition, for Camara, has only just begun.
