Chelsea rang Monaco this week with a simple question: would €40m be enough for Lamine Camara?
The answer came back quickly, and it wasn’t the one they wanted.
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Fabrice Hawkins of RMC Sport reports the London club sounded out Monaco informally rather than lodging a bid, testing the water before committing to anything.
Camara has spent the entire window attached to somebody.
Crystal Palace had a €50m offer rejected earlier this month, and Newcastle United, Manchester United, Brighton and Nottingham Forest have all been mentioned.
It has been reported that the midfielder has been offered to Liverpool.
The 22-year-old started three of Senegal’s four matches at the World Cup and was a regular in the Monaco side that qualified for the Conference League, so the traffic makes sense.
Monaco’s number is reportedly close to €60m.
That’s the figure they’ve held since the Palace approach, and it’s why Chelsea’s enquiry went nowhere.
Camara is contracted until 2029, and Monaco have already raised around €105m in sales this summer, so there’s no financial gun to their head.
They can sit on the valuation for another few days and lose nothing.
Filipe Luís has been open about wanting to keep him.
After Monaco beat Liverpool 3-2 in pre-season, the coach called Camara “probably one of the best midfielders in the world” and admitted plenty of clubs were circling.
Behind the scenes the picture is less settled.
Sky Sports’ Lyall Thomas reports Monaco are looking at replacements, with Tottenham’s Pape Matar Sarr on their radar.
Clubs don’t go shopping for a like-for-like No 6 unless they think they’ll need one.
Liverpool’s interest isn’t new.
The draw with Newcastle made the argument again, since Liverpool couldn’t win the ball in central areas until Alexis Mac Allister came on late.
Camara’s numbers fit the hole: 2.3 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game in Ligue 1 last season, both higher than any Liverpool player managed in the Premier League, and 6.6 duels won per 90, which puts him in the top eight percent of the division.
Richard Hughes had a close look at him at Anfield in pre-season.
For Chelsea, Camara is one name on a longer list.
Their midfield planning runs through Enzo Fernandez, whose future is unresolved.
RMC report no decision has been taken on the Argentine, but Chelsea would now consider a sale if a strong offer arrives.
If one does, that €60m gap starts to look bridgeable.
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