Diomansy Kamara condemns transfer treatment after Sarr and Camara deals collapse

The agent of Senegal internationals Ismaila Sarr and Lamine Camara has accused clubs of treating African footballers as commodities after both players saw high-profile transfers collapse in the final hours of the transfer window.

Diomansy Kamara issued a statement extending beyond the individual cases of his clients, declaring: “Our African players deserve respect; they are not merchandise.” The comments were reported on Wednesday by journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Sarr, 28, had wanted to leave Crystal Palace for Liverpool, who were keen to sign him as part of an overhaul of their attack. However, Crystal Palace rejected two offers and raised their demands to about 87m euros before deciding there was not enough time to recruit a replacement.

The winger therefore remains in London, despite having made his desire to leave public. He had removed several references to Crystal Palace from his social media accounts, signalling his intention to move on.

Camara’s disappointment was even more severe. Chelsea and Monaco had reached an agreement worth about 55m euros for the Senegal midfielder, who was set to sign a contract running until 2032. His medical had already begun when Monaco halted the transfer.

The Ligue 1 club had wanted to complete only one major sale, with the proposed departure of Folarin Balogun appearing to be the deal that would go ahead. That transfer ultimately also fell through, leaving Camara’s move to Chelsea abandoned.

Kamara’s intervention also draws on his previous experience in the transfer market. Last summer, Chelsea attempted at the last minute to stop Nicolas Jackson’s loan departure after Liam Delap suffered an injury. Jackson was already in Munich preparing to complete his move to Bayern Munich when the effort was made.

There is an obvious personal interest in Kamara’s statement. He cites Camara’s case as an example of a player apparently being treated as a mere “number” by Monaco and moved around according to the club’s interests. He also places that situation alongside Sarr’s, even though Sarr’s transfer was halted by a disagreement between clubs rather than by the same circumstances.

Nevertheless, the agent’s comments raise a wider question about the influence players have in transfer negotiations, particularly African players, when clubs retain the final say. A year after the incident involving Jackson, Sarr – described as “disgusted” by Crystal Palace’s refusal to compromise – and Camara, whose move was stopped during his medical, have become examples of the imbalance Kamara believes needs to be challenged.

The immediate difficulty for both players will be returning to normal life at their current clubs. Videos circulating on Wednesday showed Camara back in training with AS Monaco, underlining the abrupt end to a transfer that had appeared close to completion.

Both players may now need several weeks to recover mentally from the setbacks. Sarr must remain at Crystal Palace after openly seeking a move to Liverpool, while Camara will continue with Monaco despite having been on the verge of joining Chelsea.

Kamara’s statement is therefore both a defence of his clients and a broader criticism of the way transfer negotiations can be conducted. His central argument is that players should not be treated solely as financial assets, with their wishes overlooked while clubs negotiate over their futures.