Lamine Camara has spoken publicly for the first time about his failed £47million move to Chelsea, insisting he has now “turned the page” on the deadline-day disappointment.
Chelsea pushed to sign the Monaco midfielder during the final hours of the summer transfer window as Xabi Alonso looked to reinforce his options following Enzo Fernandez’s £125m move to Manchester City.
The deal ultimately collapsed when Monaco withdrew from the proposed £47m agreement.
Speaking at his Monaco press conference ahead of Strasbourg, Camara admitted the closing stages of the window had been difficult but said he remained professional throughout and quickly shifted his focus back towards the season.
Camara moves on from Chelsea disappointment
The 22-year-old stopped short of criticising either club.
Instead, Camara explained that uncertainty is part of a footballer’s career and said he had “turned the page” rather than dwelling on the move falling through.
Chelsea had spent deadline day trying to strengthen midfield before Monaco pulled out of the transfer. The Independent subsequently reported that the collapse of Folarin Balogun’s proposed £40m move to Everton was followed by Monaco abandoning the Camara agreement.
ReadChelsea had already covered how Chelsea reached a £47m agreement for Camara after an earlier breakthrough in negotiations.
The midfielder had also been the subject of a lengthy pursuit, with ReadChelsea reporting a day earlier that the Blues were closing in on a deal for the Senegal international.
There is currently no indication that negotiations have restarted ahead of January.
For now, Camara’s message is clear.
The Chelsea move disappeared at the last moment, but his attention has returned firmly to Monaco.
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