Liverpool Eyes Malo Gusto in Premier League Raid

Liverpool are preparing a bold raid on a Premier League rival as Andoni Iraola looks to fix one of the most fragile areas in his new team.

The window has drifted by in fits and starts for the Reds. Two deals, nothing more. Victor Munoz arrived from Osasuna for £34.5 million, Ronald Araujo followed on a season-long loan from Barcelona, and then the pace stalled. With just over a fortnight left before the deadline, that tempo is changing.

Iraola wants bodies in the door and quality on the pitch. Fast.

Right flank under the microscope

Attack has dominated the early noise around Liverpool’s plans. Bradley Barcola is the headline name, the top target to freshen up the frontline. Paris Saint-Germain’s £145 million valuation stands in the way for now, and Liverpool will not go near that figure unless it drops significantly.

Even so, a new winger is firmly on the agenda. The club want extra firepower to compete with Rio Ngumoha and Cody Gakpo. But that isn’t the only flank causing concern.

Right-back has turned into a running issue since Trent Alexander-Arnold walked away for Real Madrid on a free transfer last summer. Liverpool have been patching the problem ever since. Dominik Szoboszlai was dragged out of midfield to cover repeatedly last season, while Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley both spent important stretches on the treatment table.

Frimpong is now the first-choice option, yet his profile screams wing-back rather than orthodox full-back. That tactical nuance is driving Liverpool towards a specialist – and towards one name in particular.

Liverpool circle Malo Gusto

Chelsea’s Malo Gusto has emerged as a serious candidate. According to Chelsea insider Simon Phillips, Liverpool admire the 23-year-old, and they are not alone. Tottenham, Bayern Munich and Manchester City have also tracked the Frenchman.

The catch is obvious: the price.

Chelsea have been quoting an asking price of around £75m. City recently stepped away from talks after refusing to meet that figure, an early sign of how hard Stamford Bridge intend to play this one.

The situation is not entirely rigid, though. Phillips has also claimed that Gusto has been pushing to leave Chelsea for the past four months, a stance that could yet force the London club to soften their demands. If that number drops, the race changes.

Crowded lane at Chelsea

Gusto’s frustration is easy to understand. He featured 34 times in the Premier League last season and showed why Chelsea paid £35m to prise him from Lyon as a 19-year-old back in January 2023. Yet the landscape around him has shifted.

The £47m signing of Marco Palestra from Atalanta has added another body on the right. Palestra is expected to contest minutes with Reece James at right wing-back or even in midfield under Xabi Alonso. That squeeze threatens to push Gusto further down the pecking order in west London.

For a player already capped 16 times by France and widely regarded as one of the most promising defenders in the division, a season on the fringes would be a waste.

Gusto has built a reputation as an all-action full-back: rapid, aggressive, relentless going forward. Across his Chelsea career he has made 134 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals and providing 17 assists. He can operate as a traditional right-back or as a wing-back in more adventurous systems, exactly the sort of flexibility Iraola values.

Price tag versus project

From Liverpool’s perspective, the fit is obvious. Gusto would bring pace and bite down the right, while offering genuine competition – and a different profile – to Frimpong. He would also give Iraola the freedom to switch between back-four and wing-back structures without sacrificing balance.

The only real barrier is the £75m asking price. Liverpool have not moved beyond admiration and analysis while that number remains on the table.

If Chelsea blink, if the fee edges down into a range the Anfield hierarchy consider workable, the equation changes again. A restless French defender, a crowded Chelsea right flank, and a Liverpool side rebuilding its identity under Iraola.

Something has to give.