Former Manchester City starlet Morgan Rogers is set to join Chelsea and his old club can help land a dream welcome gift
Enzo Maresca can help Morgan Rogers at Chelsea by bringing Malo Gusto to Manchester City
Enzo Maresca can help Morgan Rogers at Chelsea by bringing Malo Gusto to Manchester City(Image: (Photo by Chris Lee - Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images))
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Manchester City signing Malo Gusto can help their former academy player Morgan Rogers have his favoured No. 27 shirt at Chelsea. Enzo Maresca's side have been linked to the 23-year-old, with the duo having worked together at Stamford Bridge prior to his sacking.
Gusto is open to a summer transfer, but his £75million asking price has put off suitors, especially with City having set the British transfer record for Elliot Anderson
That was until Chelsea reached an agreement worth £117m with Aston Villa for Rogers, who spent four years in City's academy after joining from West Brom.
He had a number of shirt numbers during his spell there, including 7, 9, 11, and 72. The latter may have played a role in his decision as Rogers took 27 for loan spells at Lincoln and Bournemouth before also having hit on his back for the two-and-a-half years at Villa Park
Having sold him to Middlesbrough, City benefited from the sell-on clause that was activated upon his switch to Villa, but will not receive any windfall
Any funds could have come in handy for the City with Ayyoub Bouaddi as their latest target. Lille want €100m (£85m) to sell him and would prefer to have him back on loan for a season.
Despite signing Anderson and still having Rodri, strengthening in midfield still appears a priority for City, having also let Bernardo Silva go on a free transfer, but full-back could become the focus later in the window.
Bernardo Silva and Elliot Anderson in action
Bernardo Silva left Manchester City a few weeks before Elliot Anderson joined
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Prior to Pep Guardiola's exit, City had attempted to bolster their full-back options before Matheus Nunes was switched from midfield to right-back.
Newcastle's Tino Livramento and Juventus' Andrea Cambiaso were heavily linked before interest turned to Gusto, with Marco Palestra also on their radar, though he has since joined Chelsea.
Some signings could join once the season has started, with City to kick off their season in less than one month as they face Premier League champions Arsenal in the Community Shield.
City may be without several key players for the clash because of their World Cup involvement, with players required to have a minimum four-week break.
That is likely to impact Rodri, Rayan Cherki, Nico O'Reilly, Marc Guehi, Anderson, and James Trafford. Erling Haaland can feature, but if following the recommended rest period, he will have only been training for a few days before the showpiece in Cardiff.