Chelsea Sets £75m Price for Malo Gusto Amidst City Interest

Chelsea have drawn a thick line under Malo Gusto’s future. Cross it, they say, and it will cost £75 million.

The French right-back, signed from Lyon for around £31m in 2023, now finds himself at the centre of a power shift in west London. Barely a year after arriving, his place is under threat and his market value has more than doubled on Chelsea’s balance sheet.

This isn’t posturing. It’s necessity.

New right-back incoming, old one unsettled

The tension around Gusto’s role spiked the moment Chelsea agreed a deal in principle for Atalanta defender Marco Palestra, with the fee set to climb beyond £43m. A specialist right-back arriving at Stamford Bridge inevitably changes the landscape.

Sensing that, Gusto’s camp have moved quickly. His representatives have already opened exploratory talks with several heavyweight clubs to test the waters ahead of a possible summer exit.

Among those contacted: Manchester City.

City interest, Maresca link – but a big problem

City want another option at right-back. They have been alerted to Gusto’s situation and the possibility of a reunion with Enzo Maresca, the coach who worked with him for 18 months at Chelsea before leaving in January.

The Etihad side see value in a younger, natural right-back. Yet the numbers jar.

BBC reports suggest that the £75m asking price is a major obstacle. City are admirers, but not at that figure. They are already getting strong returns from an improvised solution: Matheus Nunes, converted from midfield, has flourished in the role.

Nunes produced one goal and seven assists in the Premier League last season, form that previously prompted Pep Guardiola to hail him as one of the best emerging right-backs in the division. That experiment worked so well that City can afford to be choosy.

They want to strengthen, not panic-buy.

Chelsea’s financial reality bites

Chelsea’s stance on Gusto is shaped by more than just footballing logic. A 10th-place finish, no European football and years of heavy spending have created a clear mandate: sell smart, and sell big.

The club needs significant income from departures to steady the books and refresh the squad. Marc Cucurella has already gone, joining Real Madrid in a £52m deal earlier in the summer. That move felt like the start of a wider clear-out rather than an isolated sale.

The defensive unit, once a symbol of depth, now looks like a trading floor.

Trevoh Chalobah, Tosin Adarabioyo and Wesley Fofana all face uncertain futures as the club trims what has become a bloated squad. Gusto, at 23 and with clear resale value, is suddenly a prime asset in a market where full-backs who can attack and defend command premium fees.

Chelsea’s message is blunt: if you want him, pay for him.

Market closes in around Gusto

City have already stepped away from other right-back options. Newcastle’s Tino Livramento is off the table, while Pedro Porro has committed his future to Tottenham. The pool of elite, attainable right-backs is shrinking.

That keeps Gusto on the radar, even if City currently view £75m as excessive.

For Chelsea, the equation is simple. Either someone meets their valuation and they bank a substantial profit, or they retain a young, high-ceiling defender to compete with Palestra. They hold the contract, and for now, they hold the leverage.

Chalobah interest grows as Como watch the numbers

While Gusto’s situation grabs the headlines, Chalobah’s name continues to circulate quietly in the background.

The defender is drawing interest from Serie A side Como, now managed by former Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas. The project is attractive and Chalobah is understood to be open to the move.

The catch is cost. Como have yet to make a formal offer, wary of the financial scale required to prise him away from Stamford Bridge. For a club of their size, this is a calculated risk, not a romantic impulse.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are in no mood for cut-price deals. Not with the pressure to balance their books and reshape a squad that has underperformed.

So the summer rolls on: a £75m tag on Gusto, a queue forming but not yet committing, and a Chelsea defence that could look very different by the time the window closes.