Lamine Camara's agent breaks silence on failed £47m Chelsea move

Camara was all set to become a Chelsea player (Picture: Ben Roberts/Every Second Media/Shutterstock)

Lamine Camara’s agent has blasted Monaco after his client’s proposed move to Chelsea collapsed in spectacular fashion late on deadline day.

After signing off on Enzo Fernandez ’s £120million move to Manchester City , Chelsea identified Camara as their replacement for the Argentina international and agreed a fee of £47million to bring him to Stamford Bridge.

Monaco pulled the plug on the deal late on Tuesday night, however, infuriating Chelsea who felt everything had been agreed.

The Camara deal was intertwined with the future of Monaco forward Folarin Balogun , who was on the brink of joining Everton late on Tuesday night.

Monaco needed a major sale and with the USA striker seemingly set for Merseyside, they told Camara he was going nowhere. Eventually, the deal for Balogun also fell through with the striker changing his mind after a medical at Everton’s Finch Farm training ground.

Camara, regarded as one of the best midfielders in French football, had already completed his Chelsea medical and was preparing to fly to London when things collapsed.

Former Premier League forward Diomansy Kamara represents Camara along with Crystal Palace winger Ismaila Sarr, who failed to secure a late move to Liverpool.

Camara was ready to fly to London (Picture: Alberto Gandolfo/BSR Agency/Getty Images)

Kamara said Camara’s failed move to west London showed African players are ‘not shown respect’, insisting ‘the player must be able to be heard and respected in the decisions that determine his future.’

Kamara wrote on Instagram: ‘The cases of Ismaila Sarr and Lamine Camara must all interrogate us.

‘We have to get out of this logic where the African player can sometimes give the feeling that he is just a commodity: you buy it, you set its price, you negotiate its future and, too often, your will seems to go to the background.

‘Our African players deserve respect. The respect of their work. The respect of their career. Respecting their ambitions. The respect of their voices.

The collapse came after Chelsea agreed to sell Fernandez (Picture: Manchester City FC)

‘A transfer shouldn’t just be a matter of two clubs and numbers. Behind every contract, there’s a man, a career, dreams and life choices.

‘The fact that clubs can sometimes have the final word is a reality of professional football. But one question remains: what about the career and the will of the player?