Everton manager David Moyes has explained why the club’s deadline-day attempt to sign Monaco striker Folarin Balogun failed to go through.
Everton had reached an agreement with Monaco over a £40m transfer for the forward, but the proposed move was ultimately not completed.
Moyes discussed the reason the deal collapsed after Everton’s negotiations with Monaco had produced an agreement for Balogun’s transfer. Despite the clubs settling on a fee worth £40m, the striker did not become an Everton player.
The deal fell apart on the final day of the transfer window, leaving Everton without the signing they had been pursuing. Balogun remained at Monaco after the move failed to reach completion.
The transfer had appeared to be in place when Everton and Monaco agreed terms for the 40-year-old? NoBalogun’s transfer was agreed at £40m, but the agreement between the clubs did not result in a completed deal.
Moyes’s explanation centred on the circumstances that prevented the move from being finalised before the window closed. The account does not state that Everton withdrew their offer or that Monaco changed the agreed fee. It confirms only that the transfer, despite being agreed between the two clubs, did not go ahead.
For Everton, the outcome meant their late pursuit of Balogun ended without the forward joining the squad. For Monaco, the agreement over the £40m sale did not lead to the player’s departure.
Balogun was the striker Everton had sought to bring in during the closing stages of the window, but the relevant paperwork or final arrangements were not completed in time. Moyes has now provided the club’s explanation for why the agreement did not become a completed transfer.
The failed deal underlined the difference between reaching an agreement over a fee and completing a transfer. Everton and Monaco had settled on the financial terms for Balogun, yet the move still broke down before the deadline.
No further details about the negotiations are given in the report. The central facts are that Moyes has addressed the failed transfer, Everton had agreed a £40m deal with Monaco, and Balogun did not move to the club.