Chelsea's move for Lamine Camara is moving quickly. Reports say an agreement has been reached with Monaco, the fee could rise to €45m including bonuses, and the midfielder is expected in London on Sunday or Monday for a medical before signing his contract with Chelsea.
Camara's Monaco record
The appeal is easy to understand. Camara made 75 appearances for Monaco across all competitions and produced six goals and 11 assists from midfield, which is a proper return for a player being sold as a first-team piece rather than a punt.
His numbers back that up. He has also been given a 7.7 rating in Ligue 1 and hit 7.7 away at Le Havre after playing the full 90 minutes. Monaco even saw his ceiling in the 8.9 rating he posted in the 5-4 win over Strasbourg.
Enzo Fernández remains the key domino
The other half of the story is Enzo Fernández. Xabi Alonso left him out of Chelsea's Carabao Cup victory against Luton Town after a private discussion about his readiness, and Fabrizio Romano said Fernández has a verbal agreement with Manchester City on personal terms.
Romano also said City have not sent an official bid yet, with the club-to-club decision still to come and Chelsea set to decide the price. Fernández has made seven appearances in 2026 and carries a 7.05 season rating, so this is not a player drifting out of view completely, but Chelsea are already acting as if a replacement may be needed.
Camara looks like the player they want ready first. The medical is expected within days, and that timing tells you where Chelsea think this one is heading.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →
