FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — U.S. men’s national team star Folarin Balogun had an interesting summer followed by a near transfer to Premier League team Everton before a $54 million transfer deal fell apart.
Addressing the situation on Thursday while at USMNT camp, Balogun pointed to his discomfort with the terms of the contract that Everton presented him.
“I flew to Everton obviously with a set contract, and then by the time I left, the contract was changed,” he said. “That was just the situation in short. The contract was changed, and then in the end, I didn’t feel comfortable with the signing. So that was literally just the situation.”
It had been reported in September, when the deal for Balogun to depart French club AS Monaco fell apart at the 11th hour, that the issue stemmed from Everton renegotiating the deal due to concerns over the striker’s medical examination.
Monaco CEO Thiago Scuro had told reporters at a press conference following the saga that Balogun had issues with how the Premier League side handled the medical evaluation.
“Basically, Balogun’s position was: ‘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,’” he said, per BBC.
Balogun became a household name over the summer as he starred for the U.S. men’s national team during the World Cup, scoring three goals during the Americans’ five-game run in the tournament.
He became the center of an international scandal after he was assessed a questionable red card during the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina that was then rescinded after Donald Trump spoke with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, creating a political drama that has played into questions about Infantino’s conduct.
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