Monaco chief explains why £47m Lamine Camara Chelsea deal collapsed

AS Monaco sporting director Thiago Scuro has defended the club's handling of Lamine Camara's failed £47million move to Chelsea, revealing how Folarin Balogun's dramatic Everton situation triggered the entire Deadline Day saga.

Chelsea believed they had made enough progress to sign Camara as their replacement for Enzo Fernandez, who joined Manchester City for £125m. The midfielder was even undergoing medical examinations before Monaco pulled the plug.

Scuro, however, insists Monaco acted fairly and says he does not want the episode to create a dispute with Chelsea or Everton.

According to Scuro, Monaco's original intention was to keep Camara.

That changed when Everton raised concerns during Balogun's medical at around 7pm. Monaco disputed those concerns, leading to lengthy discussions between medical departments and external specialists.

With Balogun's proposed departure suddenly uncertain, Chelsea sensed an opportunity.

“Chelsea saw the opportunity. Okay, Monaco needs money. Balo is struggling there. Let's go. Let's try,” Scuro explained.

Monaco consequently opened negotiations over Camara and informed both the midfielder and his representatives.

The situation changed again around 10pm when Everton informed Monaco they were prepared to proceed with Balogun's transfer.

Scuro says Monaco then immediately told Chelsea that Camara was no longer available.

“There is no deal on Lamine because it's also fair to do this. It's also part of the game,” he said.

The extraordinary twist was not finished.

Everton and Monaco eventually signed the necessary Balogun paperwork after requesting additional time, but Balogun himself refused to sign because he was unhappy with how Everton's medical concerns had been handled.

That meant both transfers collapsed.

Chelsea were left particularly frustrated because they believed Monaco had acted unprofessionally by refusing to sign a deal sheet that could have provided additional time to complete Camara's £47m transfer.

Scuro rejected the suggestion Monaco behaved unfairly, arguing that the chaotic sequence was simply part of Deadline Day negotiations.

Camara has since returned to training with Monaco.

Camara remains a Monaco player and has already returned to training, with Scuro insisting the midfielder had previously expressed a willingness to stay.

Chelsea, meanwhile, enter the season without a direct replacement for Fernandez. Their failure to land Camara leaves central midfield as the clearest area to address when the transfer market reopens in January.