Folarin Balogun Left Out Of AS Monaco’s Europa Conference League Squad After Everton Move Collapses
Folarin Balogun has been excluded from AS Monaco’s Europa Conference League squad for the 2026/27 season following the dramatic collapse of his transfer to Everton.
The former Arsenal striker was set to complete a €50 million move to the Premier League club on deadline day, a deal that would have triggered Arsenal’s 17.5% sell-on clause.
The transfer appeared to hit its first obstacle when reports emerged that Balogun had failed his medical examination at Everton, casting serious doubt over whether the deal would proceed.
However, Everton reviewed the situation and ultimately concluded there was no issue, deciding they still wanted to push ahead and finalise the signing.
Despite the green light from Everton, Balogun made the unexpected decision to pull out of the deal at the very last moment, leaving Monaco without the transfer fee they had anticipated.
Monaco CEO Thiago Scuro offered a detailed account of the breakdown, saying: “We had a clear agreement for Balogun to go to Everton.”
Scuro explained the timeline of events, stating: “Balogun flew yesterday morning to complete his medical and sign a contract. Everything was going pretty well. Around 19:00 we were contacted by Everton, who raised concerns about Balogun’s medical.”
The Monaco CEO continued: “It took around two or three hours to go through the assessments, consult other doctors and review the scans. Around 22:00 our time, maybe a bit earlier, Everton realised there was no issue and decided they were ready to sign the contract.”
Scuro went on to reveal exactly how the deal unravelled at its final stage, adding: “I signed the contract. Everton signed the contract. At the last moment, the player decided not to sign.”
He explained Balogun’s stated reasoning, quoting the player’s position as: “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.”
Balogun returned to training with Monaco on Thursday ahead of their match against Paris Saint-Germain on Friday, though a fitness issue has kept him out of that squad as well.
Reports suggest that Balogun is likely to remain at Monaco for now, though transfer windows in places such as Saudi Arabia remain open, meaning a move is not entirely out of the question.
Arsenal retain their 17.5% sell-on clause for future windows, but whether Monaco will attract another bid of a similar value for the 25-year-old remains uncertain.
Balogun’s contract at Monaco runs until 2028, and with the World Cup now passed, he will not have that showcase opportunity again soon, potentially affecting his market value going forward.
Unless he delivers an exceptional 2026/27 campaign, a transfer in the next window is unlikely to command the same kind of fee that Everton were prepared to pay.
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