Why Folarin Balogun’s Everton move collapsed

Folarin Balogun remained at Monaco after opting against joining Everton at the last minute. His decision followed a sequence involving a reported £40m agreement, a disputed medical finding, Everton’s attempt to renegotiate the deal and a separate loan approach for Joshua Zirkzee. Monaco had also acted on the belief that Balogun would join Everton by ending Chelsea’s deal for Lamine Camara.

The eventual outcomes affected each proposed transfer. Everton missed out on signing a striker, while Monaco kept both Balogun and Camara and failed to raise the money it wanted. Chelsea’s agreement for Camara had already been stopped by Monaco before Balogun decided not to join Everton.

The £40m agreement and disputed medical finding

According to Sky Sports, Balogun became a solution for Everton and Monaco, and the clubs reached a £40m agreement. That agreement provided the starting point for the proposed transfer, but a problem subsequently arose during the medical process.

Sky Sports reported that Everton found evidence of an injury during Balogun’s medical. Monaco and the player refuted that finding, claiming that the USA international was fit to play immediately. Everton’s reported finding and the position taken by Monaco and Balogun must therefore remain distinct: the medical concern was raised by Everton but disputed by both the club selling the player and Balogun himself.

Everton decided to proceed with the transfer, according to the report, but attempted to renegotiate the agreement on cheaper terms. That meant the proposed move remained in progress even after the medical disagreement. Sky Sports News understood that nothing changed with Balogun’s personal terms, keeping the revised club-to-club discussions separate from the personal agreement with the player.

The distinction between those two parts of the proposed transfer is central to the chronology. Everton’s attempt to obtain cheaper terms concerned its agreement with Monaco. The terms arranged with Balogun were reported to have remained unchanged while Everton continued with the transfer process.

Everton’s separate Zirkzee approach

Everton also made a loan offer for Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee, but that proposal was rejected. Sky Sports News reported that Everton’s interest in Zirkzee was separate from the Balogun deal. The two approaches were therefore presented as distinct pieces of transfer business rather than the reported Zirkzee interest replacing the Balogun negotiations.

That separation is important because Everton had decided to proceed with the Balogun transfer and was attempting to renegotiate its agreement with Monaco. At the same time, its offer for Zirkzee did not succeed. Balogun’s personal terms were still understood to be unchanged, while the club-to-club terms for his proposed move were being discussed again.

Balogun ultimately opted against joining Everton at the last minute. The outcome left the original £40m agreement uncompleted after the disputed medical finding, Everton’s attempt to negotiate cheaper terms and its separate, rejected loan offer for Zirkzee.

Why Monaco’s Camara decision affected Chelsea

Monaco had already made a separate transfer decision while believing Balogun would join Everton. On that basis, Monaco pulled the plug on Chelsea’s deal for Camara. This part of the order matters: Monaco ended the Camara agreement while expecting the Balogun move to be completed, before Balogun opted against joining Everton at the last minute.

Once the Everton move did not happen, Monaco kept both Balogun and Camara. Sky Sports reported that the club consequently failed to raise the money it wanted. Chelsea’s proposed deal for Camara had already been ended by Monaco, so Balogun’s decision came after Monaco had stopped that separate transaction.

Everton missed out on signing a striker, and its loan offer for Zirkzee had also been rejected. Monaco retained both players instead of completing the anticipated Balogun departure or the separate Camara deal. Chelsea, meanwhile, did not complete the Camara transfer after Monaco withdrew from the agreement.

The chronology explains why the failed Balogun move extended beyond one proposed signing. Everton proceeded after its reported medical finding while seeking cheaper terms, and Balogun’s personal terms were understood to be unchanged. Everton’s Zirkzee interest was reported as separate. Monaco then stopped Chelsea’s Camara deal because it believed Balogun would join Everton, only for Balogun to opt against that move at the last minute.