Lamine Camara Focused on Monaco After Chelsea Move Collapse

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

The 22-year-old midfielder was on the brink of a £47.1m switch to Stamford Bridge, having completed his medical, only for the deal to fall apart in the final hours of the transfer window.

Monaco had already rejected two bids from Chelsea before softening their stance during a chaotic end to the window, when it briefly looked as though Folarin Balogun’s proposed transfer to Everton might collapse. With the club needing at least one major sale, the American forward was the preferred departure, while a source at Monaco had previously stressed it would take a “substantial fee” to prise Camara away.

As doubts grew over Balogun’s move, Monaco appeared ready to cash in on Camara instead. Then the picture flipped again. Balogun’s switch to Everton seemed back on, Monaco cooled on selling their Senegal international, and in the end neither player left. Both stayed put in the Principality.

“There was a possibility I could leave,” Camara said, speaking before 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.”

That season has started brightly. Monaco have taken maximum points from their first three Ligue 1 fixtures and went into the weekend second in the table, behind Rennes, with a game in hand.

In that context, Camara’s mindset is clear.

“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.”

For Chelsea, the move that slipped away. For Camara, a campaign in which his value — and his options — could grow all over again.