Chelsea accuse Monaco of 'unprofessional behaviour' after Lamine Camara drama
Chelsea have accused Monaco of unprofessional behaviour after missing out on signing Lamine Camara, sources have told Football Insider.
The relationship between the two clubs is believed to have been significantly damaged by the Ligue 1 outfit's decision to pull the plug on a late move for Lamine Camara.
Chelsea had agreed a £47.1million deal with Monaco for the midfielder, before the deal was cancelled in favour of selling Folarin Balogun to Everton, which also fell through.
As I revealed on the latest edition of Football Insider's Transfer Insider podcast, Chelsea higher-ups were left raging with Monaco after eventually missing out on Camara.
The Blues had targeted Camara as a replacement for Enzo Fernandez after his huge move to Man City, but were ultimately left short despite having reached an agreement.
Chelsea and Monaco have done plenty of business in the past for the likes of Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi and Tiemoue Bakayoko, but that relationship is now at risk.
Why did Chelsea miss out on signing Lamine Camara?
Football Insider revealed on 31 August that a deal was "close" between Chelsea and Camara, with the Blues looking likely to beat Premier League rivals in the race.
Monaco, however, had no plans to sell more than one big-name player on deadline day and instead prioritised Balogun's move, leaving Chelsea in the lurch.
The Blues are believed to be fuming with their French counterparts, as they believe an agreement was reached and should have been allowed to go through at that late stage.
Speaking on the Transfer Insider podcast, I explained: "Everton thought they were getting Folarin Balogun, a was agreed between them and Monaco.
"Once there was whispers that that deal might not go ahead because of the medical, Chelsea tried to move on and agree a deal for Lamine Camara.
"Chelsea knew that Monaco needed the money for at least one of those sales to help balance the books before the window closed.
"But once the Balogun deal was back on at Everton, Monaco pulled the plug on the move for Camara which was all agreed between Chelsea, the player and Monaco.
"That hasn't gone down well at all with Chelsea, who have claimed it was very unprofessional behaviour from Monaco to pull the plug so late on.
"It left them without a midfielder to replace Enzo Fernandez, so there was a lot of drama in that one, and it seems to have impacted the relationship between the two clubs."
What happened with Folarin Balogun's move to Everton?
Monaco's decision to pull the plug on selling Camara was ultimately made as they prioritised a move for Balogun to join Everton, amid advanced talks with the Toffees.
However, the striker's move to Merseyside eventually fell though after a late U-turn from the player, meaning both Premier League clubs ended up without their signings.
Football Insider revealed on 4 September that Balogun walked out on Everton at the last minute of the window, despite a full agreement between both clubs.
The deal ultimately dragged on past the 11pm deadline, before the striker decided against a move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, despite the club's best efforts.
After medical checks, the Toffees reopened negotiations with Monaco over a discounted fee, but reports have since claimed the striker was unhappy with how it was handled.