Everton transfer news: Monaco chief makes Folarin Balogun claim after failed Toffees move

Folarin Balogun did 'not feel comfortable' signing for Everton on transfer deadline day, according to Monaco sporting director Thiago Scuro.

On a chaotic final day of the summer window, Balogun had been in line to move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium in a £40m deal.

However, Everton being left unconvinced over the United States international's medical led to a change of events that frustrated Chelsea and Monaco.

Everton and Monaco eventually found common ground over a renegotiated fee and medical, but Balogun changed his mind over a switch to the Toffees once the 11pm deadline had passed.

That has subsequently left David Moyes with one frontline striker after Beto had already been sold to Fiorentina.

Monaco chief reveals Balogun, Everton chain of events

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Scuro put the blame at the feet of Everton's medical staff for having what he felt were unnecessary concerns over Balogun.

He told reporters: "We had a clear agreement for Balogun to go to Everton. Balogun flew yesterday morning to complete his medical and sign a contract.

"At 16:00, Balogun was in Liverpool completing his medical. Everything was going pretty well.

"Around 19:00 we were contacted by Everton, who raised concerns about Balogun's medical. For our medical staff and for the player's personal medical staff, there was no sense in those concerns. The explanations were not enough to justify any concerns about the player's future or health.

"A discussion started between the medical departments. It took around two or three hours to go through the assessments, consult other doctors and review the scans. This is normal when a club doctor raises concerns.

"Meanwhile, as often happens on deadline day, the story entered the media very quickly. About half an hour after we were contacted, reports were already saying Balogun had failed his medical.

"Around 22:00 our time, maybe a bit earlier, Everton realised there was no issue and decided they were ready to sign the contract.

"The Premier League has a mechanism where clubs can request additional time to complete paperwork. This was done five minutes before the transfer deadline in England for us to complete all the paperwork between Monaco, Everton and Balogun.

"I signed the contract. Everton signed the contract. At the last moment, the player decided not to sign.

"Basically, Balogun's position was: 'I'm not feeling comfortable with the way the club treated me. I'm not comfortable with the doubts raised about my future or my health. I have no issue, so I'm not comfortable signing a contract here.

"And that's how we ended the transfer window."

What now for Balogun and Monaco?

At the same media briefing, Scura also explained the thought process behind scrapping the transfer of Lamine Camara to Chelsea at short notice.

However, Monaco must now contemplate how to generate the funds required to comply with the relevant regulations.

Camara, Balogun and other squad members are likely to be open to clubs in the likes of Turkey, Portugal and Saudi Arabia, whose transfer windows are yet to close.

In the cases of Camara and Balogun, they may not jump at the chance of a transfer until 2027 when they both came close to high-profile Premier League moves.