Chelsea Sets £75m Price for Malo Gusto Amid City Interest
Chelsea have drawn a thick line under Malo Gusto’s name – and written £75 million next to it.
The French right-back, signed from Lyon for around £31m in 2023, is weighing up his future in West London just as the club moves aggressively in his position. With Chelsea agreeing a deal in principle for Atalanta’s Marco Palestra for a fee north of £43m, the message is blunt: nobody is guaranteed a shirt.
Gusto’s camp has not waited for clarity. His representatives have already opened discreet conversations with several heavyweight clubs to test the market ahead of the summer window. Among those sounded out: Manchester City.
Maresca link tempts, price tag bites
City’s interest is logical. They want another right-back. They know the player. And there is a familiar face waiting at the Etihad.
A switch to Manchester would reunite Gusto with Enzo Maresca, the coach who worked with him for 18 months at Stamford Bridge before leaving in January. Maresca knows what Gusto can offer on the overlap and in transition; Gusto knows exactly how demanding the Italian can be.
City’s recruitment team are exploring options to deepen their right side, even with Matheus Nunes thriving since his conversion from midfield. The Portugal international delivered one goal and seven Premier League assists last season from the role, a transformation that previously drew glowing praise from Pep Guardiola, who hailed him as one of the league’s standout emerging right-backs.
The problem is the number. BBC reports suggest City view Chelsea’s £75m valuation as excessive, and they have stepped back from that figure for now. They want a younger, natural right-back to grow into the role, but not at any price.
Chelsea’s balancing act
Chelsea’s stance on Gusto is shaped as much by spreadsheets as by tactics. A 10th-place finish, no European football and years of heavy spending have pushed the club into a summer where outgoings matter as much as arrivals.
The sale of Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid for £52m has already underlined the new reality. Gusto, at 23 and on a long contract, represents another potentially lucrative asset in a squad that the hierarchy consider bloated.
The defensive reshuffle is far from over. The futures of Trevoh Chalobah, Tosin Adarabioyo and Wesley Fofana all sit under the same harsh light as the club looks to reshape the back line and free room – and funds – for reinforcements elsewhere.
Chelsea are determined not to be bullied on price. If Gusto goes, it will be on their terms. If he stays, he faces a straight fight with Palestra for the right-back berth in a squad where patience is thin and turnover is high.
City scan the market, Chelsea brace for exits
City, for their part, are not short of options. They have already cooled interest in Newcastle’s Tino Livramento, while Pedro Porro has shut the door by committing his future to Tottenham. The search continues, with Gusto on the list but not at any cost.
Back at Stamford Bridge, Chalobah could be the next to move. The defender has attracted interest from Serie A side Como, now coached by former Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas. Chalobah is understood to be open to the idea, intrigued by the project and the chance of regular football.
The stumbling block, again, is money. Como are wary of the overall cost of any deal and have yet to turn admiration into a formal bid.
So Chelsea wait. On Gusto. On Chalobah. On a market that knows they need sales, but also knows they are willing to dig in on valuations.
Somewhere between those two truths lies the next major decision in their defensive rebuild – and perhaps the next big move in Maresca’s City era.
