Everton’s proposed £38.5M (€45M) transfer for AS Monaco striker Folarin Balogun collapseed at the eleventh hour after the 25-year-old failed his medical examination. Everton attempted to renotiate the deal but he ended up walking away.
The United States international had been authorized to fly in for routine medical assessments after Everton agreed a deal that would have made him the second-most expensive signing in the club’s history. However, medical diagnostics revealed an underlying physical issue that Everton staff determined would prevent him from being available immediately.
Reports from France initially broke the news that the deal was in serious jeopardy, with subsequent updates suggesting that the transfer is officially off; however Sky Sports then reported that the club were trying to get it completed before the 11 pm deadline, with a deal sheet being submitted to gain an extra 2 hours for paperwork to be completed.
But ultimately it was reported without any further explanation that the player decided not to proceed with the move and he left Finch Farm in the early hours of Wednesday morning to return to Monaco without signing for Everton.
This absolute disaster leaves Everton’s problematic strikeforce seriously depleted with Beto having completed a £17M move to Fiorentina earlier in the day and Iliman Ndiaye’s move to Manchester City finally confirmed. The only player incoming to bolster this ridiculous situation was the return of Jack Grealish on loan.
In the chaos of deadline day, Everton are understood to have tabled a £10M loan bid to Manchester Utd for Joshua Zirkzee but this was flatly rejected.