Everton thought they had their striker. Monaco thought they had their sale. Chelsea thought they had finally landed Lamine Camara. Then, in the space of a few frantic hours, the entire Deadline Day story fell apart.
Everton had agreed a £40m deal for Monaco striker Folarin Balogun. The American arrived on Merseyside at lunchtime for his medical, but concerns soon emerged over an issue that threatened to derail the transfer.
Monaco then moved quickly. With doubts over Balogun’s move, the French club agreed to sell midfielder Lamine Camara to Chelsea. The Blues had seen several bids rejected before finally reaching an agreement.
But Everton returned to the table and renegotiated the terms of Balogun’s transfer. That changed Monaco’s plans and the club withdrew from the Camara deal after Chelsea had already reached a full agreement.
The 11pm deadline passed with Chelsea furious. The Blues had also agreed to sell Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City for £125m, but decided to complete the deal in good faith despite losing their chance to sign Camara.
Then came the final twist. Just after midnight, Balogun reportedly changed his mind and walked away from the Everton move, despite a deal sheet having been submitted.
The fallout is severe for Everton. Beto has joined Fiorentina, Manchester United rejected their loan approach for Joshua Zirkzee, and Iliman Ndiaye has moved to Manchester City. Everton now have Thierno Barry as their only recognised senior striker until January.
For Chelsea, the frustration is equally sharp. They had done the work to sign Camara, only for Monaco to pull the plug.
Balogun’s turbulent 2026 has taken another dramatic turn. After being caught up in the World Cup red-card controversy involving Donald Trump, the striker now finds himself at the centre of one of the most chaotic transfer stories of the summer.
