“Camara was very close to joining Chelsea in the summer transfer window before that collapsed at the eleventh hour,” Pete O’Rourke told teamtalk.com. The latest update suggests Chelsea have moved on from that deal and are prioritising Alex Scott instead, which leaves Liverpool with a cleaner route into the race for Lamine Camara. The midfielder is still at Monaco, where his situation has not been made any simpler by the club's stance.
Chelsea's changed priority
O’Rourke said Chelsea have “moved on from that deal”, and that Scott is now ahead of Camara on their January list. That lines up with other reporting that Chelsea are not planning to revisit the move, even after coming close in the summer. Pete O’Rourke also noted that the Blues are looking at other targets instead, which is a fairly clear sign the Camara path at Stamford Bridge is not where they are spending their energy.
Monaco's hold on the deal
The sticking point is still Monaco. Football365 said the club pulled the plug on deadline day after agreements had been reached, while TeamTalk reported Monaco were looking for £60m and The Hard Tackle put the earlier Chelsea agreement at around €55 million. Those figures do not point to a simple negotiation, especially with Camara contracted to Monaco until the summer of 2029.
Liverpool's interest sits alongside their wider league position too. They are fifth in the Premier League and nine points behind the league leaders after the move against Arsenal, so recruitment carries more weight than it would in a calmer moment. Camara's camp is also not far from the conversation, with Liverpool having tracked him for a long time and contacted his representatives, according to recent reports.
Monaco will not be pushed easily, Chelsea have turned to Scott, and Liverpool are still in the picture if January opens the door.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →
