Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City have no intention of forking out £75 million to sign Chelsea full-back Malo Gusto.
Manchester City are unwilling to pay £75 million for Chelsea defender Malo Gusto, according to Fabrizio Romano. The London club’s valuation is too much for them. Even though Enzo Maresca is a massive admirer of the French full-back, City won’t pursue a deal at that price.
They had been monitoring the 22-year-old as they assessed options to strengthen the right side of their defence, but the latest developments suggest City are prepared to walk away rather than commit to a package they consider excessive.
Gusto has established himself as one of Chelsea’s most valuable young assets since arriving from Lyon back in 2023. His pace, athleticism and attacking qualities have made him an important member of the squad, while his age and potential mean the Blues have no intentions of offloading him.
As a result, Chelsea have placed a significant valuation on the France international, with any deal likely requiring a fee in the region of £75 million. Amidst Reece James’ injury struggles, Gusto has proven to be a very useful option for the Blues. Last season, he was involved in 49 games and ended up contributing towards eight goals.
City to walk away from their pursuit of Gusto
While he prefers playing as a right-back, he can operate as a wing-back, defensive midfielder as well as a left-back. Maresca, who worked with him during his time at Chelsea, wants him at City, who are in search of a new right-back to finally replace Kyle Walker.
With Chelsea maintaining a firm negotiating position and showing little interest in lowering their demands, City have reportedly reached the conclusion that pursuing alternative targets may be a more sensible course of action.
City’s handling of the Gusto situation appears to fit that pattern. Unless circumstances change significantly in the coming weeks, the Manchester-based giants’ pursuit of the £75 million-rated defender looks set to remain on hold.
