Everton Agrees £40m Deal for Folarin Balogun as Richarlison Return Stalls

Q: What secret medical concern prompted Everton's last-minute renegotiation that ultimately shattered Balogun's blockbuster transfer?

Everton’s last-minute renegotiation was triggered by a medical flag over an apparent injury concern, but the exact issue was not publicly disclosed. Multiple reports say Everton’s doctors found evidence during Balogun’s medical that suggested he was not fully fit for immediate availability. Some coverage described it as an underlying physical issue; others said Monaco and the player’s camp strongly disputed that there was any real problem and insisted he was fit. That concern led Everton to try to reduce their risk by changing the structure of the transfer, lowering the guaranteed fee and making more of the package dependent on appearances or performance-related add-ons. Monaco eventually accepted those revised terms, and both clubs signed the paperwork. The deal then collapsed because Balogun himself refused to go through with it. Monaco chief Thiago Scuro said the striker felt uncomfortable after Everton’s medical department raised doubts about his future health and did not want to sign a long-term contract with a club that had questioned his condition. So, the “secret” concern was not a confirmed diagnosis made public, but an undisclosed injury or fitness issue detected in the medical that Everton considered serious enough to renegotiate the deal.

3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Aug 31

£40 million would bring Monaco striker Folarin Balogun to Everton as the club pushes to add a forward before Tuesday's transfer deadline.
Richarlison, 29, had been part of a separate swap framework with Tottenham involving Iliman Ndiaye, but the Brazil forward is understood to have failed to agree personal terms on an Everton return.
Balogun, 25, has scored 31 goals in 91 Monaco appearances since leaving Arsenal in 2023 and has 12 goals in 31 caps for the United States.
The move comes despite Balogun's World Cup disciplinary controversy, when FIFA suspended for a year a ban he would have faced after a red card against Bosnia-Herzegovina.