Florin Balogun rejects Everton move after late medical dispute

Florin Balogun has decided not to join Everton from Monaco after a late disagreement over the way the club handled concerns about his medical assessment.

The United States striker had travelled to England and completed a medical as Everton pursued a reported £40m deal before the transfer window closed. The move appeared to have been completed, with contracts signed by both clubs, but Balogun chose not to sign his own agreement in the final moments.

Monaco sporting director Scuro said the transfer collapsed only five minutes before the deadline.

“Five minutes before the close of the English transfer window, I signed the contract, and Everton signed the contract,” Scuro said.

“At the last moment, the player decided not to sign.”

Everton had initially raised concerns about Balogun’s fitness following his medical. Medical staff from the two clubs subsequently discussed the issue, after which Everton decided to proceed with the transfer.

Balogun nevertheless remained unhappy with how the process had unfolded and ultimately refused to commit to a long-term contract at Goodison Park.

“Basically, the allegation of Balogun is that: ‘I’m not feeling well by the way the club treated me,'” Scuro said.

“He was not feeling well about the way the medical department of Everton brought doubts about his future or his health. He has nothing, so he was not comfortable to sign a long contract here.”

Reports had claimed Everton attempted to renegotiate the transfer fee after raising questions over the striker’s medical, although Scuro did not mention any such discussions when explaining why the deal fell through.

Everton had turned to Balogun late in the window after Beto completed a move to Fiorentina. That departure left manager David Moyes with fewer attacking options, prompting the club to pursue the Monaco forward.

The Toffees did strengthen elsewhere, bringing Jack Grealish back from Manchester City on another season-long loan. They also signed Ainsley Maitland-Niles from Lyon.

For Monaco, Balogun’s decision to remain with the club created an unexpected financial issue because the French side had been expecting to receive the proceeds from his transfer.

Scuro said Monaco was continuing to explore alternatives, with transfer windows in other countries still open and clubs there able to make significant financial offers.

“We still have other markets open, and we are having discussions about different players, including Balo,” he said.

“Let’s see what can still happen until Thursday because we still have markets that have the financial capacity to do something.”

Balogun will therefore stay at Monaco for now, following the collapse of a move that had progressed as far as completed club contracts before the player’s late decision not to sign.