Folarin Balogun turns down Everton move after medical department dispute

Transfer nearly done, player already in the rival's locker room, contract ready to be signed... and at the last minute, it all fell apart. That's exactly what happened to Folarin Balogun with Everton at the close of the European summer transfer window, and the explanation offered by Monaco itself was as detailed as it was unusual for the world of soccer.

The Principality club's sporting director, Thiago Scuro, held a press conference on Wednesday in which he walked through, step by step, how a deal worth roughly 40 million pounds (about $54 million) collapsed. And the ending had nothing to do with numbers or clauses: it was the forward himself who decided not to sign.

According to Scuro, Balogun underwent his medical examination at Everton's facilities on Tuesday afternoon. Three hours later, with barely four hours left before the transfer window closed, the English club called Monaco to raise doubts about the results of those tests. Doubts that, in Scuro's own words, "made no sense" to either Monaco's medical staff or the player's personal medical team.

What followed was a rapid-fire negotiation between the medical departments of both clubs. Everton eventually backed off and said it was ready to complete the signing. But by then it was too late for the player: Balogun, uncomfortable with the whole process, decided not to put pen to paper.

"Balogun's take is basically: I don't feel good about how the club treated me, I don't feel good about how Everton's medical department cast doubt on my future or my health. There's nothing wrong with me, so I don't feel comfortable signing a long contract here."Thiago Scuro

Everton did not publicly respond to Scuro's comments, and Balogun himself has not commented either. Meanwhile, the English club's board (owned by the Texas-based Friedkin Group) is facing criticism from fans: the collapsed deal leaves the team with just one top-tier forward, Thierno Barry, after his backup, Beto, was sold to Fiorentina on the very day the window closed.

A forward marked by controversy

Balogun arrives at this episode still carrying another curious chapter. During the last World Cup he was one of the standout players for the United States national team, but he was sent off with a straight red card in the round of 16 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. His one-match suspension was overturned after President Donald Trump personally called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to request a review of the red card. That allowed him to play in the round of 16, though he had a quiet performance in the 4-1 loss to Belgium. The episode prompted a formal complaint to FIFA's ethics investigator and a wave of criticism across the soccer world; Balogun himself later admitted that the decision created "outside noise" that affected the team's morale.

What's next for Balogun and Monaco?

The New York born forward still has two years left on his contract with the Monaco club, and Scuro did not rule out a move through another route. Turkey's transfer window closes on Friday and Saudi Arabia's closes on October 12, two windows that remain open in an attempt to find him a new home.

The urgency is significant for Monaco, which needs to generate income from player sales to comply with French league financial regulations. In fact, when the Everton transfer appeared to be falling through, the club was already negotiating with Chelsea over the departure of midfielder Lamine Camara, a deal that also ended up being called off when Everton tried to revive the Balogun operation. In the end, neither player moved.

"Balo's departure was the trigger for everything else to work. Basically, our financial plan had been running almost perfectly until 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Now we have to deal with this situation and look for solutions through other paths."Thiago Scuro