Malo Gusto is of interest to Chelsea’s Premier League rivals Manchester City with the France international valued at a whopping £75million by his current employers
As a new chapter begins at Chelsea, one might well becoming to its end. We do not know for certain yet but Malo Gusto could be on his way out of Stamford Bridge this summer.
The signing of Marco Palestra from Atalanta (official confirmation pending) has cast serious doubt over the future of Gusto. While Palestra has been signed to cover various different positions across the defence, the 21-year-old Italy international admitted last month that his preferred role is at right back.
Reece James isn’t going to be sold after the Chelsea captain signed a long-term contract extension during the second half of last season. Josh Acheampong was described to football.london as ‘untouchable’ at the start of the month after it emerged the Blues had dismissed several approaches for the Cobham graduate.
While James and Acheampong possess the ‘untouchable’ label at Stamford Bridge, the same cannot be said about Gusto. However, Chelsea do value the Frenchman highly – with the Blues whacking a £75million price tag on his head amid interest from Manchester City and other top sides, according to sources.
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A hefty price tag for interested parties as Xabi Alonso waits to see whether Gusto will be in his squad at the start of his debut season. With that being said, Bobby Vincent and Jake Stokes discuss and debate what they would do in regards to Gusto’s future – and our two Chelsea writers are in agreement.
Bobby Vincent
With Palestra coming in, I think now feels like the right time for Chelsea and Gusto to part ways. Even though I was told yesterday that the Blues value him at £75m, that could – and I’m speculating – very well be a negotiation tactic because that fee seems extortionate.
So far, Gusto has endured a very mixed tenure at Stamford Bridge. In his debut season under Mauricio Pochettino, he was excellent. Gusto finished the 2023/24 campaign with nine assists to his name in all competitions – proving to be a very impactful attacking right back.
That was when he was being asked to overlap but when Enzo Maresca – who is ironically interested in signing the defender for Man City at the time of writing – took charge at Chelsea, Gusto’s role changed. It became a more complex role where Gusto was asked to invert, sometimes into the deep midfield position and at times in the No.10.
In my opinion, that does not suit Gusto – his passing isn’t good enough in tight spaces. Being an out-and-out attacking full back suits him much more. Depending on what Alonso wants to do with his full backs (or even wing backs if he goes for a back-three shape), Gusto could be surplus to requirements.
Palestra coming in should spell the end of Gusto’s time, really, especially with Chelsea not having the luxury of European football to get every player more minutes. He needs to be sold at the right price, though, because the right back market, at the minute, is not filled with excellent options.
Jake Stokes
Chelsea should sell Gusto this summer.It’s been quite disappointing to see how far he’s fallen since Maresca stepped down as head coach at the start of the year. The 23-year-old defender was one of the first names on the team sheet when the Italian was still in charge – and rightly so, he was brilliant!Gusto often played an important role in the so-called ‘big games’, bombing down the right while James pulled the strings in the middle of the park. Of course, it wasn’t perfect, but he and the Chelsea captain had established a good relationship; it just worked, especially with Cole Palmer cutting inside.It was a nice dynamic that was cut short. Gusto wasn’t quite the same when Maresca left; he often looked sluggish and lackadaisical, which obviously raised questions about his future. Ultimately, after a disappointing end to the campaign, the Blues have every right to cash in while his stock holds value.Despite the flashes of promise, I doubt the Blues will get £75m for his signature. On paper, as a Premier League-proven defender and France international, I think at least £50m for his signature would be more than fair.
