Liverpool are unlikely to revisit their interest in Malo Gusto in January despite approaching Chelsea for the fullback this summer.
The Reds needed to sign a right-back this summer, but ended the window with just four signings.
They did, however, spend £123m on Bradley Barcola, £60m on Jeremy Jacquet, £34.6m on Victor Munoz and also agreed a loan deal for Ronald Araujo. Liverpool have an option-to-buy clause in the loan agreement with Barcelona worth £47m, which I’m beginning to think they should trigger after his bright start to life at Anfield.
There has also been an interesting suggestion made by Joleon Lescott, who claims that the Reds are in the mix to sign Dani Carvajal for free after his Real Madrid contract expired, with a club yet to sign him.
That’s an outside shout, but one thing is clear: Liverpool won’t be returning for Gusto.
Liverpool unlikely to revisit Malo Gusto interest after Chelsea quoted them £75m
The Merseysiders explored signing Gusto but ended their interest after Chelsea asked for £75m. The 23-year-old is a fine fullback and would have made a good addition to Andoni Iraola’s side, but it’s unlikely to happen as things stand, according to Football Insider.
The report from Pete O’Rourke reads: “Alonso has carefully moulded his squad from the plethora of players that he initially had to choose from when he arrived at Chelsea for the start of pre-season.
“The club have no plans to sell any more key men, with sources revealing to Football Insider that Liverpool are unlikely to move for Gusto again in January as Chelsea continue to demand around £75m.
“Andoni Iraola will have to explore alternative options at right-back, with the Reds keen to bolster the position as Jeremie Frimpong struggles to impress.”
The Liverpool manager used Araujo at right-back against Ipswich Town, and the Barca star was fantastic.
Ronald Araújo vs Ipswich Townpic.twitter.com/JM93ZoV6sN
— Manny (@Ritesh_FCB) September 5, 2026
He provided the much-needed stability at right-back that had been lacking in Liverpool’s 2-2 draws with Newcastle and Nottingham Forest when Jeremie Frimpong started.
Against Ipswich, Araujo won the most duels (9/10), most aerial duels (6/10) and made the joint-most clearances (7/10) in what was a dominant display from the Uruguayan.
He will certainly have tougher opposition in the Premier League and the Champions League this season, but it was the kind of performance that will stick in Iraola’s thinking moving forward.