Malo Gusto wants to leave Chelsea in the January transfer window, with the French right-back ready to walk away from Stamford Bridge after falling to the bottom of the pecking order under Xabi Alonso.
According to TEAMtalk, both the player and the club are open to parting ways in January, and as many as seven clubs have already registered an interest in the 23-year-old. Chelsea are understood to be willing to listen to offers, a striking change of stance for a player they valued at £74 million only last summer.
Malo Gusto: frozen out at Chelsea after just three starts
Gusto’s fall from favour has been swift. He has made only three Premier League starts this season, totalling just 308 minutes of league football, and he has not started a league game since the 2-2 draw at Hull City. Reece James remains Alonso’s first choice at right-back, summer signing Marco Palestra has jumped ahead of him, and academy graduate Josh Acheampong has also been preferred when the position has opened up.
It is a long way from the player Chelsea signed from Lyon in January 2023 for around £30 million. Gusto played more than 30 matches in each of his first three seasons at the club and looked, for a long stretch, like the long-term answer at right-back. But this season he has become the fourth-choice option in a position where Chelsea are suddenly well stocked. His seven-and-a-half-year contract runs to June 2030, so Chelsea hold the cards on any fee, but at 23 he cannot afford a year on the bench, and the January window now looks like his escape route.
Malo Gusto transfer: Liverpool, Man City and Spurs lead seven-club race
Liverpool are among the clubs monitoring the situation, having already enquired about Gusto during the summer. The Reds are in the market for a specialist right-back, with centre-back Ronald Araujo currently filling in at the position, and Gusto’s availability in January has put him firmly on their radar.
Manchester City are also still interested. Enzo Maresca, who worked with Gusto at Chelsea, is keen on a reunion at the Etihad, although City’s ability to bring in new players this winter may depend on the outcome of their appeal in the financial case hanging over the club. City, who have also lost Marc Guehi to a hip injury on England duty, are keeping tabs on the defender’s situation.
Tottenham Hotspur complete the Premier League trio, having explored Gusto’s availability in the summer alongside their rivals. The interest does not stop in England either: Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, Como and RB Leipzig have all been named among the seven suitors, giving the Frenchman a genuine choice of destinations.
Como’s interest carries an extra twist. Cesc Fabregas has already signed two Chelsea players in January windows gone by, and the Italian club are now in the mix for a third, with Gusto on their list as they look to strengthen for the second half of the season.
What a Malo Gusto January exit would cost
The price is where the deal gets complicated. Chelsea set a prohibitive £74 million valuation on Gusto in the summer, a figure that scared off every suitor. Reports now say the club are prepared to cut that asking price significantly, and on the books they would need only around £14 million to break even on the former Lyon star, according to the Chelsea Chronicle.
That gap between the summer valuation and the break-even figure is what makes a January deal realistic. Chelsea know a player who is not playing loses value with every passing month, and Gusto knows his next move will define the next phase of his career. With seven clubs circling and both sides open to a deal, the January window looks set to bring an end to his Stamford Bridge stay. For more on the January window, check today’s predictions.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0, Bryan Berlin) — collage by SportsBuddy.
