Chelsea transfer target Lamine Camara has been told he is better off where he is by Monaco teammate and former Blues cast-off Denis Zakaria.
Zakaria spent a largely forgettable season on loan at Stamford Bridge from Juventus in 2022-23, making seven Premier League appearances under three different managers as the team finished 12th.
Camara was the subject of a last-minute bid from Chelsea on transfer deadline day before the Ligue 1 side pulled the plug for reasons the London club said were not explained.
The 22-year-old later said he had "turned the page" on the failed move to the Premier League, and he has been a central figure in Monaco's strong start to the season.
A 2-1 win at home against Lens kept Filipe Luis' side top of the table, after which Zakaria urged Camara to forget about the Blues.
"Chelsea? I told him that it was good but that it is better here," the Switzerland international told reporters after the game, according Get French Football News.
"I know the player and the person that he is. He is very professional. I think [the failed transfer] has given him even more strength. He was incredible [against Lens]."
A £47 million ($63 m) deal for the Senegal international was verbally agreed with Monaco in the final hours of the transfer window before the Ligue 1 side backed out at the last minute.
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The U-turn left Chelsea furious, with one source telling the Press Association that Monaco's conduct had been "extraordinary and deeply unprofessional."
The team have looked light in midfield in the early weeks of the season following injury to Moisés Caicedo, who has played only 14 minutes so far, and the £125 m ($167 m) sale of Enzo Fernández to Manchester City on deadline day.
"There was a possibility I could leave," Camara told French media earlier in September. "It didn't go through at the last minute and that's part of football. I've turned the page and am focusing on the season."
Monaco lead the way in Ligue 1 by two points from Lyon and Paris FC -- who are coached by former Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior -- after winning four of their first five games of the season.
Manager Filipe Luis was a title winner as a player at Stamford Bridge in 2015 and was considered as a possible replacement for Rosenior before the club hired Xabi Alonso.
