Malo Gusto has provisionally agreed to join Manchester City this summer in a move that would see him once again play under Enzo Maresca, the former Chelsea head coach, according to Foot Mercato.
Maresca poised to replace Guardiola
Manchester City are on the cusp of a new era following the departure of Pep Guardiola, who ended his hugely successful tenure last month after a decade of domestic dominance. Maresca, his former assistant, is poised to replace him at the helm once City and Chelsea reach a compensation settlement for the Italian, who left Stamford Bridge in January.
Although Maresca is not yet officially in place, City are already active in the transfer market, with a £116 million deal to bring Elliot Anderson to Manchester close to completion. Gusto could follow him through the door at the Etihad to form part of Maresca's new squad after giving City the green light to make a move.
City need to persuade Chelsea to sell
According to Foot Mercato, City now need to persuade their Premier League rivals to cash in on the Frenchman. It is said that Maresca is keen to make Gusto a 'key part' of his new project at Manchester City. Chelsea, however, are in a strong bargaining position given the 23-year-old is under contract until 2030.
The Blues are close to concluding a deal to sign Marco Palestra, who would add to the competition for places at right-back, but it is not thought that they are especially looking to sell Gusto, who arrived at the club in 2024 after spending one final season with Lyon in France.
Valuation and market activity
It has been suggested that Chelsea value Gusto at around £75 million — an amount significantly higher than the £31 million they paid to sign him from Lyon. Chelsea are already active in the transfer market, having made a move to sign former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka from Sunderland. The Swiss midfielder is well known by the Blues' incoming manager, Xabi Alonso, who is keen to reunite with him. But Sunderland have rejected an £8 million offer for their captain, who only moved to the Stadium of Light last summer, and informed their Premier League rivals that Xhaka is not available for transfer at any price.
