Chelsea Sets £75m Price for Malo Gusto Amid Squad Changes
Chelsea have drawn a thick line in the sand over Malo Gusto – and it’s £75 million wide.
The club have put a huge valuation on the 23-year-old right-back as the Frenchman weighs up his future in West London, his place suddenly less secure after another aggressive burst of recruitment from the Stamford Bridge hierarchy.
Gusto, signed from Lyon for around £31m in 2023, arrived as one of the club’s flagship defensive projects. A year on, he finds himself staring at a very different landscape.
Palestra deal turns up the heat
The pressure on his position spiked once Chelsea agreed a deal in principle to bring in Atalanta’s Marco Palestra for a fee in excess of £43m. A specialist right-back, younger and highly rated, is on his way into a squad already creaking with numbers.
That looming arrival has prompted Gusto’s camp into action. His representatives have started exploratory talks with several major clubs to test the water for a summer move, sensing that his pathway at Chelsea could narrow quickly.
Among those contacted: Manchester City.
City interest – but a hard number to swallow
City, always on the hunt for marginal gains and fresh energy in wide defensive areas, are assessing their options at right-back. A move to the Etihad would reunite Gusto with Enzo Maresca, the coach who worked with him for 18 months at Chelsea before leaving in January.
There is admiration for Gusto’s profile and potential. There is also a problem: the price.
BBC reports indicate that City view Chelsea’s £75m valuation as a major obstacle. For a player still establishing himself at Premier League level, it is a figure that forces any buying club to pause.
Complicating the equation further is the form of Matheus Nunes. Converted from midfield, the Portugal international has flourished in the role, scoring once and supplying seven assists in the Premier League last season. His performances drew praise from former manager Pep Guardiola, who hailed him as one of the league’s standout emerging right-backs.
Nunes has set a high bar. City, though, want a natural, younger specialist in the position to deepen competition and future-proof the role. That keeps Gusto in their thoughts, even if the numbers currently don’t add up.
Chelsea’s financial reality drives tough calls
Chelsea’s stance on Gusto is not just about talent. It is about balance sheets and a squad that has grown unwieldy.
A 10th-place finish last season, no European football, and heavy historic spending have sharpened the need to generate significant funds from sales. High-value, saleable assets are suddenly more than just footballers; they are financial levers.
Marc Cucurella has already gone, joining Real Madrid in a deal worth £52m earlier this summer. That move felt like the start of a broader reset rather than an isolated sale.
The reshaping is expected to continue. Defensive mainstays and familiar names are all under review as the club looks to trim a bloated group and reinvest in other areas of the pitch.
Trevoh Chalobah, Tosin Adarabioyo and Wesley Fofana are among those whose futures now sit in a grey zone. None are guaranteed to be part of the next iteration of this squad.
Market closes in on Chelsea’s fringe
City, for their part, are not short of options. They have cooled on the £75m figure for Gusto, but remain active in the market. Moves for Newcastle’s Tino Livramento have been ruled out. Pedro Porro, another long-linked name, has committed himself to Tottenham.
That narrows the field and keeps the spotlight on players like Gusto, whose situation could shift quickly if Chelsea soften their stance or if rival clubs sense an opportunity late in the window.
Meanwhile, Chalobah could be the next to step through the exit door. The defender has drawn interest from Serie A side Como, now managed by Cesc Fabregas. Chalobah is understood to be open to the move, a fresh start in Italy under a familiar Premier League face appealing at this stage of his career.
The stumbling block, again, is cost. Como have yet to lodge a formal bid, wary of the overall financial package required.
Chelsea, then, stand at a familiar crossroads: big valuations, a crowded dressing room, and a market watching closely.
If £75m really is the line for Malo Gusto, who blinks first – the sellers under pressure to raise cash, or the buyers determined not to overpay in a summer already inflated by risk?
