Balogun, Camara and the £250m of Deadline Day deals that fell apart

Feature

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Five moves worth nearly £250 million (€290m) collapsed on Deadline Day, leaving clubs and players facing very different futures.

Deadline Day lived up to the hype, with drama at every turn as the Premier League transfer record was equalled by Enzo Fernandez and Malick Fofana moved to Sunderland in remarkable circumstances.

But for every big deal completed, there was one that fell through. Indeed, many players were left stranded at the eleventh hour, with Folarin Balogun and Lamine Camara two in particular at the heart of deals that broke down at the last.

Here are five moves, worth a staggering total of nearly £250 million (€290m), that broke down at the last:

Folarin Balogun

Monaco to Everton

Reason: Player rejected move

When the transfer window closed at 11pm BST, Folarin Balogun’s transfer from Monaco to Everton looked inevitable. Yet there was to be one final twist in the tale of a deal that had been on, then off, then on once more.

Balogun had initially failed a medical with the Toffees in the evening, prompting David Moyes’ side to chase a deal for Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee. When they were knocked back, they revisited a move for the USMNT star at a reduced rate – something in the region of £40m (€46.5m) - and seemed to have everything in place.

The former Arsenal academy star, though, rejected them. Everton are now left short of centre-forward options having offloaded Beto to Fiorentina. Thierno Balde is the only natural No.9 open to David Moyes until January.

Lamine Camara

Monaco to Chelsea

Reason: Monaco pulled out at the last moment

Balogun’s transfer rippled across the transfer market. When news of his failed medical broke, talks with Chelsea stepped up over a deal for Camara. After all, the Ligue 1 side needed to raise money to fill a black hole in their budget.

A £47m (€55m) move appeared sorted, yet Monaco pulled out at the very last moment when Everton reignited their Balogun chase late on. Their reasoning was two-fold. Firstly, Balogun was expected to raise the money to fill the void in their books, and secondly they had been forced to pull out of a deal for Mexico international Erik Lira, who had been earmarked as Camara’s replacement.

It’s a disastrous outcome for Chelsea, who did not get their midfielder, Monaco, who did not get the money they needed, and Camara, who missed out on his dream move.

Manu Kone

Roma to Chelsea

Reason: Chelsea switched priorities to Camara

Kone was an unwitting bystander in the Camara and Balogun saga, which directly affected his future. The France midfielder was seen as an alternative to Camara for Chelsea, and when it went quiet over that deal, the former Toulouse star was the favourite to move to Stamford Bridge. A £52m (€60m) agreement with Roma was even in place.

The Blues clearly preferred Camara, though, so when the opportunity arose to complete that deal, the Premier League side went all-in.

Unfortunately, they pinned their hopes on the wrong player and the deal broke down too late to resurrect a move for Kone.

Current ETV

Manu Kone

M (C)

Roma

Manu Kone

M (C)

Roma

€40.1M

ETV Range

€36.1M - €44.1M

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Rayan Ait-Nouri

Manchester City to Manchester United

Reason: United made a loan offer, City wanted a permanent deal

Seeking a solution to their long-standing left-back concerns, Manchester United launched a stunning late move for Manchester City’s Rayan Ait-Nouri.

United had overlooked Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde and Racing Santander’s Jorge Salinas but instead made an audacious late bid to their rivals for a left-back.

While the Red Devils pressed for a loan, City were only willing to sell the £30m-rated international on a permanent basis.

This deal was always going to be a long shot, so it should not come as a big surprise that no move was possible, yet it leaves United relying on the fitness of Luke Shaw to hold up amid a campaign that will see the club battle on European and domestic fronts.

United also missed out on Leicester City’s promising midfielder Louis Page on deadline day.

Malo Gusto

Chelsea to Liverpool

Reason: Liverpool were unwilling to match Chelsea’s demands

Just as Manchester United need a left-back, Liverpool are crying out for a right-back, with the form of Jeremie Frimpong cause for concern in the early stages of the season.

There was some surprise that Liverpool left it to Deadline Day to try to find a solution to their problem, perhaps hoping that Chelsea would buckle late in the window. A loan offer was made for Gusto, yet it was knocked back by the Blues, who have started the Frenchman in each of their first two Premier League matches of the season.

Gusto was a player in the shop window, but with a £75m (€87.5m) price tag around his neck, it is unsurprising there were no suitors.

Chelsea, meanwhile, were unwilling to consider a loan, so this was a deal that never stood a genuine chance of progressing.

Related stories:

The Premier League just provided the most senseless and stupid transfer window in history

Malick Fofana’s Deadline Day madness: Two clubs, two jets and one decision

Deadline Day: Every official confirmed transfer around Europe

Written by

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Robin Bairner is an eminent digital football journalist who has been writing about the sport for major global publishers since 2006, specialising in Ligue 1 and Scottish football. He has been chief editor of the FootballTransfers global edition since its launch in 2020. Previously Bairner had been a key member of the editorial team which helped Goal.com become the world’s biggest football website. He covered multiple major competitions as a correspondent for Goal including the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where he had the opportunity to work in Fortaleza. Among his highlights of the competition was Brazil’s quarter-final victory over Colombia.

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