First Trump, now Everton: Balogun at center of another fiasco as deadline-day transfer fails

U.S. striker Folarin Balogun pulled out of a deal to join Everton in the final minutes of European soccer’s summer transfer window because he felt uncomfortable that the English club raised doubts about his health in a medical check, Monaco’s sporting director has revealed.

In an unusually candid summary by a soccer official about an aborted transfer, Thiago Scuro held a news conference and gave — in English — a detailed, step-by-step rundown on how Balogun’s proposed move to Everton for a reported 40 million pounds ($54 million) fell apart with the clock ticking on deadline day.

According to Scuro, Balogun underwent a medical examination at Everton on Tuesday afternoon. Three hours later — and with four hours left until the deadline — Everton contacted Monaco raising questions about the results of the medical “which, for our medical staff, as well as for the player’s personal medical staff, made no sense at all,” Scuro said.

There followed discussions between the clubs and medical departments, before Everton contacted Monaco again to say it was ready to complete the signing of Balogun, according to Scuro.

“At the last moment, the player decided not to sign,” Scuro continued in the news conference held Wednesday. “And basically, the allegation of Balogun is that, ‘I’m not feeling well by the way the club treated me, I’m not feeling well by the way the medical department of Everton brought doubts about my future or my health. I have nothing (wrong with his health), so I’m not comfortable to sign a long contract here.'”

There was no immediate response from Everton about Scuro’s comments when contacted by the Associated Press. The Premier League club’s leadership — its owners are the Texas-based Friedkin Group — is being criticized by its fans for the way the Balogun deal was handled, as it leaves the team with just one senior striker — Thierno Barry — since his backup, Beto, was sold to Fiorentina on deadline day.

There has been no public comments from Balogun, either, following the latest fiasco surrounding the New York-born striker.

During the World Cup, Balogun was the star player for the U.S. team but was red-carded during the round-of-32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

His one-game suspension was deferred by FIFA after U.S. President Donald Trump intervened, calling Gianni Infantino — president of soccer's world governing body — to see if the red card could be reviewed.

Balogun was, therefore, allowed to play in the round of 16 and had a forgettable performance as the U.S lost to Belgium 4-1. The intervention prompted a formal complaint to FIFA's ethics investigator and led to a general outcry in the soccer world , with Balogun later acknowledging FIFA’s decision to suspend his ban created “outside noise” that affected the U.S. team mentally.

Scuro has left open the possibility of Balogun, who has two years left on his contract at Monaco, still leaving the club, saying: “We still have markets that have the financial capacity to do something.”

Among the leagues whose transfer windows are still open are Turkey (closes on Friday) and Saudi Arabia (closes on Oct. 12).

Monaco is under pressure to sell Balogun or another of its top players because it needs to generate money to comply with the French league’s financial rules.

When it first appeared that Balogun’s move to Everton was off, Monaco began negotiating with Chelsea over the sale of midfielder Lamine Camara and they reached an agreement, Scuro said.

However, that deal was also scrapped when Everton reversed its decision on Balogun and attempted to get it over the line.

In the end, neither player moved.

“Balo leaving was the trigger for everything to be OK,” Scuro said. “Basically, our financial plan was working almost perfectly until 7 p.m. (on Tuesday).

“Now we have to face this situation and find solutions in different ways.”

Monaco is next in action on Friday, away to defending champion Paris Saint-Germain.

See AP’s full soccer coverage here