One Medical Check Cost Chelsea and Everton Both a Transfer on Deadline Day

THE PLAN

Monaco went into the final day of the summer transfer window trying to complete two separate deals at once. Everton had agreed a fee worth around 40 million pounds to sign striker Folarin Balogun, and Monaco planned to use that sale to fund a move of their own: selling midfielder Lamine Camara to Chelsea as a replacement for Enzo Fernandez, who had just left for Manchester City in a 125 million pound deal. For most of deadline day, both deals were reportedly on track.

WHERE IT WENT WRONG

According to Monaco sporting director Thiago Scuro, Balogun was completing his medical at Everton's Finch Farm base by mid-afternoon, and it was going well. Around 7pm, an unspecified issue emerged during the medical that forced the two clubs to start renegotiating.

"Around 7 p.m., we were contacted by Everton, raising questions about Balogun's medical, which, for our medical staff, as well as for the player's personal medical staff, made no sense at all," Scuro said.

With the Balogun sale suddenly in doubt, Monaco moved to push the Camara deal through instead. Around 10pm, Everton told Monaco the medical issue had been resolved and the Balogun transfer could proceed after all, so Monaco pulled out of the Camara talks with Chelsea. By then, Balogun himself had cooled on the move, unsettled by Everton's separate pursuit of striker Joshua Zirkzee, which he felt the club had pursued behind his back.

"I'm not feeling well because Everton's medical department raised doubts about my future or my health," Balogun said, according to Scuro. "I have nothing, so I'm not comfortable signing a long contract here."

Everton, Monaco and Balogun all signed a deal sheet to buy a two-hour extension past the deadline to sort it out. With five minutes left on that extension, Balogun still chose not to sign.

THE FALLOUT

With the extension time gone, both transfers collapsed. Everton missed out on the striker they had been chasing all window, Chelsea lost their planned Fernandez replacement, and Monaco failed to make the sale they needed. Scuro said the club did not try to talk Balogun out of his decision.

"We didn't see ourselves in a position to push him. We had to respect it," he said.

WHAT'S NEXT

With the window now closed, none of the three clubs can revisit these deals until January. Balogun stays at Monaco for at least the first half of the season, Chelsea will need another route to reinforcing midfield, and Everton's search for a striker carries over unresolved.