Chelsea out but battle still alive in PL for Monaco Lamine Camara

Chelsea have dropped out of the race to sign Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara, but four other Premier League clubs are preparing to compete for the Senegal midfielder's signature in the January transfer window, according to Team Talk and Caughtoffside.

The 22-year-old had come close to joining Chelsea in the summer, with both player and club believed to have reached an agreement, before Monaco held firm after the sale of Folarin Balogun fell through. Camara was left deeply disappointed by the outcome and remains determined to leave the principality club in the winter window.

Monaco transfer news: who is chasing Camara in January?

Liverpool are the leading contenders. Football Insider reported around ten days ago that the Reds had already moved ahead of Chelsea in the chase, and that advantage appears to have grown since the Blues' exit from the race.

© Iconsport / Johnny Fidelin, PA Images, Azzuu

Crystal Palace remain interested, having made a formal approach to Monaco during the summer before ultimately switching their focus to Quinten Timber from Marseille for £17m. Newcastle United have identified Camara as a potential midfield solution following the departures of Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal and Sandro Tonali to Tottenham Hotspur over the summer. Brighton round out the list of interested parties, with the south coast club monitoring the Senegalese midfielder for the next window.

Monaco transfer news: the price tag and the stakes

The situation carries sporting and financial dimensions for Monaco. Camara has started every match since the season began without once being substituted, contributing one goal and one assist — making any January exit a genuine loss for boss Filipe Luis.

However, Monaco are aware that the growing competition for Camara's signature works in their favour. According to Caughtoffside, the Ligue 1 club have increased their asking price by £13m compared to the summer, and are now demanding around £59m. Only the Premier League clubs pursuing the midfielder appear capable of meeting that valuation, and Monaco will benefit from the competition between them to push the fee as high as possible.