Chelsea’s £38.5m bid for Lamine Camara has been rejected by Monaco, but the move is not dead. Monaco reportedly felt the offer was too low, talks were still ongoing and Thiago Scuro said the club hope Camara stays for one more season.
Ben Jacobs also said the player is keen on the move, which leaves Chelsea trying to keep pressure on the deal as deadline day tightens.
Monaco’s stance on Camara
Scuro, Monaco’s CEO, said: "It is possible that he stays and possible that he leaves. We hope that he stays, but we have to make financial decisions […] but for Lamine we hope that he stays at Monaco for one more season." That is the position Monaco have settled into: open to a sale, but not eager to make life easy for Chelsea.
The numbers around Camara explain why the French club have a grip on this. He has started the Ligue 1 season with a 7.7 rating across 2 appearances for Monaco, and he has logged 185 minutes in those two matches. Monaco sit third in Ligue 1, so there is no obvious sporting reason for them to move quickly unless the price improves.
Chelsea’s wider midfield plan
The other part of this story is Enzo Fernández. Jacobs said Camara is the "second option" and added that Chelsea are looking in the Premier League as well because these deals are not done yet. In that sense, Camara is being lined up as a replacement if Fernández goes to Manchester City.
Chelsea are sixth in the Premier League, which explains why they are still working on midfield business this late in the window. Fabrizio Romano has also been part of the reporting around the move, but the key detail remains the same: Chelsea have made their bid, Monaco have rejected it, and the player is still available if the two clubs can find the right fee.
A move to Stamford Bridge is still in play, but the opening £38.5m offer has already been knocked back and Monaco are not under pressure to sell before the deadline.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 5 outlets. How we work →
