Senegal star Lamine Camara returns to Monaco training after failed Chelsea move

Senegal international Lamine Camara returned to training with AS Monaco on Wednesday morning, just hours after his proposed transfer to Chelsea collapsed on deadline day.

The 22-year-old midfielder took part in Monaco’s first-team training session at the club’s training ground in La Turbie, with Get French Football News reporting that he was present alongside his teammates.

Camara had appeared destined to complete a move to Stamford Bridge before the transfer window closed. Chelsea and Monaco had reportedly reached an agreement in principle over a deal for the Senegal international, with the midfielder also understood to have been open to the move.

However, the transfer unexpectedly fell through after Monaco decided to step away from the agreement as they explored the possibility of completing a sale for United States international Folarin Balogun.

The Principality club had hoped to offload Balogun before sanctioning Camara’s departure, but their plans ultimately failed to materialise.

Balogun had been close to joining Everton, with the Merseyside club initially agreeing a deal before concerns surrounding his medical caused the transfer to be called off. Everton later revived negotiations, but the move eventually collapsed again in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

With neither deal completed, both Camara and Balogun remain Monaco players for the time being.

Camara has already returned to normal duties with the first team, taking part in Wednesday morning’s training session despite the disappointment of seeing his proposed move to Chelsea fall apart at the final stage.

The Senegalese midfielder could still have an opportunity to leave Monaco, however, with the transfer markets in Türkiye and Saudi Arabia remaining open beyond the deadline in several major European leagues.

For now, Camara will have to put the failed Chelsea transfer behind him and concentrate on his responsibilities at Monaco.

Meanwhile, Balogun was absent from Wednesday’s training session. The American forward remained in England into the early hours of the morning as negotiations over his proposed move to Everton continued. He had also been away from Monaco’s first-team training in the build-up to the failed transfer because of an injury.

There was, however, positive news for Monaco with the return of Ansu Fati to training. The Spanish forward has not featured for the club since his move from Barcelona was made permanent, making his return a welcome boost for the team.

Camara’s failed transfer adds another twist to a dramatic Deadline Day, with the Senegal international now facing the prospect of continuing his career at Monaco despite having been on the verge of joining one of Europe’s biggest clubs.