After failing with two offers earlier on deadline day, Chelsea finally reached an agreement with Monaco worth €55 million (£47.1m) in the closing stages of the transfer window. Camara had been given permission to complete a medical and sign a six-year contract at Stamford Bridge.
Monaco had also agreed a £40m deal with Everton to sell Folarin Balogun but the Premier League club raised concerns during the striker’s medical which threatened to scupper the move. Balogun had been set to sign for Everton, but issues arose with his medical, at which point Monaco agreed to sell Camara to Chelsea.
Everton eventually decided to push on with their deal to sign Balogun, which then prompted Monaco to pull out of their agreement with Chelsea over their deal for Camara. Balogun then opted not to join Everton due to their concerns during his medical and the United States international will remain at Monaco for the time being.
As a result of the drama, Monaco chief Scuro held a press conference on Wednesday where he launched a staunch defence of his club and insisted that they were not 'the bad guys' in the scenario. Chelsea are understood to have been furious with Monaco’s conduct but speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Scuro insisted that the club’s decision to U-turn on their transfer agreement with Camara is ‘part of the game’. ‘Our priority was to keep Lamine in the club, it’s going to be his third season, normally the cycle we do we try to protect our solid performers because the performances are strongly connected to the financial situation of the club as well,’ Scuro said.
Reporting: Evening Standard, Metro, The Sun, Daily Mail.