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Your weekly briefing on Chelsea, featuring team news and expert analysis from Dom Smith
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Lamine Camara’s deadline day move to Stamford Bridge is off.
In what was an extraordinary final day for the Blues on the transfer front, Lamine Camara’s proposed £47million move collapsed after a deal was agreed in writing and a deal sheet had been sent through to the Premier League.
It has emerged that AS Monaco wanted to sell one of their two main men to recoup some funds. A deal was in the pipeline for USA striker Folarin Balogun to join Everton. Remarkably, that deal collapsed for the Toffees, meaning Monaco failed to offload either of their star players.
Camara had been given permission to complete a medical and sign a six-year contract at Stamford Bridge. Former Premier League footballer Diomansy Kamara, now Lamine Camara’s agent, had this to say: “A transfer shouldn't just be a matter of two clubs and numbers. Behind every contract, there's a man, a career, dreams and life choices.
“The player must be able to be heard and respected in the decisions that determine his future.”
With the transfer window now sealed firmly shut, Chelsea cannot revive the deal for Lamine Camara despite the late collapse of Folarin Balogun’s proposed move to Merseyside. The Blues will need to wait until the January transfer window to revive their interest in the midfielder.
Speaking of Merseyside, it has also been suggested that Liverpool have made contact with Monaco to state their intent on signing the Senegalese midfielder in 2027.
Chelsea fans’ dismay will perhaps be fuelled even further by their former World Cup-winning midfield general, Enzo Fernandez, joining Premier League rivals Manchester City for a joint British record fee of £125m.
The hierarchy at Stamford Bridgle could have pulled the plug on that deal, but now Xabi Alonso’s men find themselves short in the midfield department, at least until the next transfer window opens.
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