A deal with Chelsea fell through dramatically: will Liverpool FC now snap up a 70-million gem?
Liverpool FC are in talks over a winter transfer for Lamine Camara, according to the Sun. His move from AS Monaco to Chelsea fell through at the final hurdle in the summer.
According to the tabloid, a deal next January would require concessions from all parties, but an agreement during the winter break remains achievable. Liverpool have already opened talks with the Senegalese midfielder's entourage, it reports.
Transfer rumours still surround Camara because of what happened on deadline day last summer. His move to Chelsea looked practically sealed. The clubs and the player's representatives had already agreed in writing on a base transfer fee of €55 million.
Just hours before the transfer window closed, however, Monaco withdrew their agreement. The abrupt reversal was understood to be linked to simultaneous wrangling over Folarin Balogun, whose proposed move to Everton had to be renegotiated at that point.
The episode caused considerable irritation at Chelsea, who were said at the time to have described Monaco's handling of the negotiations as "deeply unprofessional". Camara's market value has since risen further and is now put at up to €70 million.
Lamine Camara's agent hit out after Chelsea transfer fell through
After the move collapsed, Diomansy Kamara, who represents Camara and his national team-mate Ismaila Sarr as well as former Munich player Nicolas Jackson, criticised the failure. Sarr's proposed departure from Crystal Palace to Galatasaray or Liverpool had also fallen through at the last moment. Kamara wrote on his Instagram account: "The cases of Ismaila Sarr and Lamine Camara must make us all think. We must move away from this mindset in which the African player is sometimes made to feel he is merely a commodity: people buy him, set his price, negotiate his future, and too often your wishes seem to take a back seat."
Kamara called for a fundamental change in the treatment of professionals from Africa: "Respect for their work. Respect for their careers. Respect for their ambitions. Respect for their voice. A transfer should not just be a matter of two clubs and numbers. Behind every contract is a person, a career, dreams and life decisions."
Under contract at Monaco until 2029, Camara arrived from FC Metz for €15 million in 2024 and has since made 83 competitive appearances. He has scored seven goals and provided twelve assists in those matches.
