Man City transfer news: £75m Chelsea player wanted
Man City transfer news: Man City eye Chelsea defender Malo Gusto as Enzo Maresca begins Etihad rebuild
Man City transfer news: Enzo Maresca isn’t messing about. The new Manchester City boss has barely got his feet under the desk following Pep Guardiola’s exit, but the blueprint for his Etihad revolution is already taking shape. He wants energy. He demands tactical fluidity, crisp passing, and a backline that can run all day. He needs options, basically. According to reports from The Athletic, City’s recruitment team has fixed their gaze firmly on Chelsea right-back Malo Gusto.
The 23-year-old Frenchman enjoyed a massive breakout campaign last year, racking up 49 appearances for the Blues across all competitions. He chipped in with two Premier League goals and three assists, but it’s his comfort in advanced areas that has really attracted attention from Manchester. He loves a high press. He rarely gives the ball away. For a manager like Maresca, who knows the Stamford Bridge squad inside out after his eighteen-month stint in West London, Gusto fits the profile perfectly.
The £75 million sticking point
Prize assets don’t come cheap, though. The Independent suggests Chelsea are digging their heels in, slapping a hefty £75 million price tag on the defender.
It’s a massive valuation. Chelsea executives are well aware of how vital Gusto is, especially given Reece James’s wretched luck with injuries. Selling a top-tier fullback to a direct Premier League rival is a massive risk they aren’t keen to take.
City have the cash, obviously, but financial sanity will dictate this deal. They won’t be held to ransom. Unless the Stamford Bridge board lowers that steep price, Etihad chiefs will look at alternative targets. Very few fullbacks on the market offer this exact tactical package. Maresca clearly wants to raid his former employers, but the ball is now firmly in Chelsea’s court. Both heavyweights are refusing to blink.
Rohit Sarkar
