Lamine Camara Focused on Monaco After Chelsea Move Collapse

Lamine Camara insists he has already “turned the page” on his failed move to Chelsea and is locking back in on Monaco’s Ligue 1 campaign after a dramatic end to the transfer window.

The 22-year-old midfielder underwent a medical ahead of a proposed £47.1m switch to Stamford Bridge, only for the deal to collapse in the final hours before the deadline. Two earlier bids had been rejected, and Monaco eventually softened their stance on the fee as the window descended into late drama.

The chaos did not end there. Folarin Balogun’s proposed move to Everton briefly looked in serious doubt, pushing Monaco towards a major sale and opening the door for Camara’s exit. When Balogun’s transfer then appeared to be back on again, Monaco seemed to retreat from the idea of losing Camara at all.

In the end, nothing moved. Both Balogun and Camara 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 at least one big outgoing this summer and that Balogun was the preferred departure. Inside the club, the message around Camara had long been clear: it would take a “substantial fee” to prise the Senegal international away.

On the pitch, Monaco have started like a team unbothered by the noise. Three wins from three in Ligue 1 left them second behind Rennes, with a game in hand, heading into the weekend.

“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.”

For now is doing a lot of work there. But as long as Monaco keep winning and Camara keeps driving their midfield, the next opportunity may not be far away.