Lamine Camara saw his move to Chelsea collapse in the final moments of transfer deadline day, with reports claiming Liverpool had urged Monaco and the player to wait
Lamine CAMARA of AS Monaco during the Ligue 1 McDonald's match between Monaco and Marseille at Louis II Stadium on August 30, 2026 in Monaco, Monaco. (Photo by Ewen Gavet/Icon Sport via Getty Images)
Lamine Camara's move to Chelsea collapsed amid reports Liverpool called the player and Monaco(Image: Getty Images)
Monaco’s sporting director Thiago Scuro has lifted the lid on how the Lamine Camara’s move to Chelsea collapsed - and has teased that “even better options” could be open to the midfielder amid claims Liverpool has spoken to him.
Camara had looked set to complete a move to Stamford Bridge on deadline day, with the 22-year-old having completed a medical ahead of the $64 million (£47.1M) transfer, only for it to collapse shortly after the window closed.
Chelsea had expected the move to go through, having already sanctioned Enzo Fernandez’s exit to Manchester City, and has reportedly been left “furious” by Monaco’s decision to cancel the deal.
Subsequent reports have now claimed that Liverpool called both Camara’s camp and Monaco to urge them to “wait”, with the Reds entertaining the possibility of signing him at a later date.
Just hours after Camara’s move to Chelsea fell through, Monaco’s transfer chief Scuro held a press conference, in which he explained why the Senegal international’s transfer collapsed after he had asked to leave the club.
As per BBC Sport’s Nizaar Kinsella, Scuro revealed that Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso had spoken directly to the player, but Monaco went into deadline day not wanting to sell Camara, instead preferring to offload Folarin Balogun instead - whose own move to Everton also fell through.
Thiago Scuro of AS Monaco FC during a press conference and a shirt ceremony in AS Monaco training center in La Turbie, France on July 7, 2026. Photo by Laurent Coust/Icon Sport via Getty Images
Monaco sporting director Thiago Scuro(Image: Getty Images)
Scuro described the decision to end negotiations with Chelsea as “part of the game”, and added that he had since spoken to Camara to reassure him that he would secure a major transfer “very soon”. Not only that, but he also suggested he could have “even better options than he did yesterday”, offering a potential hint to Liverpool’s interest.
Having seen his move to Chelsea fall through, Camara is expected to return to action for Monaco, with Scuro insisting that he remains fully committed and professional to the club.
Scuro’s comments come after Ismaila Sarr’s agent hit out at Monaco’s decision to pull the plug on Camara’s move, while also speaking about his own client’s failure to secure a move after Liverpool saw a bid rejected by Crystal Palace earlier in the summer.
Content Image
Content Image
“The cases of Ismaila Sarr and Lamine Camara must all interrogate us,” Sarr’s agent, Diomansy Kamara, said.
“We have to get out of this logic where the African player can sometimes give the feeling that he is just a commodity: you buy it, you set its price, you negotiate its future and, too often, your will seems to go to the background.
“Our African players deserve respect. The respect of their work. The respect of their career. Respecting their ambitions. The respect of their voices.”