Romeo Lavia and Malo Gusto with Liverpool badge
Xabi Alonso will allow Malo Gusto to leave Chelsea in the January transfer window, with Liverpool reportedly battling Manchester City for what could be a world-record deal for a right-back.
Man City boss Enzo Maresca was eager to reunite with Gusto over the summer after the pair worked together at Chelsea. Gusto ended up staying at Stamford Bridge, but a January transfer is emerging as a strong possibility.
Maresca has continued to push City to make a move for the full-back, who originally joined Chelsea from Lyon for £30million in June 2023.
Maresca sees Gusto as a top-class right-back capable of replacing the likes of Matheus Nunes and Rico Lewis.
But City will face competition from Liverpool for Gusto’s capture. Liverpool arguably have even greater need for a new right-back, with Jeremie Frimpong failing to impress and Conor Bradley still recovering from a serious knee issue.
Those factors have seen Andoni Iraola use centre-back Ronald Araujo on the right side of defence in recent months.
According to Chelsea reporter Si Phillips, Gusto’s departure has ramped up, as manager Alonso has told him to ‘find a new club’.
Alonso is open to selling the Frenchman as he would rather place his trust in Marco Palestra and Josh Acheampong long term. Reece James is also in the squad, though he has been out since October after undergoing knee surgery.
This update comes after we revealed on Monday that Chelsea are open to letting Gusto depart in January, while the player himself is also ready to leave.
We can confirm that Liverpool hold interest in the 23-year-old, having made enquiries about him over the summer.
Our sources add that Tottenham Hotspur explored a potential deal for him during the summer, too.
Liverpool, Man City pursue Malo Gusto
We revealed on October 24 that City’s interest in landing Gusto remains strong, and it could be a world-record move for a right-back.
The record is currently held by Achraf Hakimi, who joined Paris Saint-Germain for €68m (then £60m) in June 2021.
Chelsea initially set Gusto’s price tag at a huge £75m in the summer, though they could be open to a sale worth £65-70m in January.
Feyenoord starlet Givairo Read and Roma’s Wesley Franca are two more right-backs to have made Liverpool’s shortlist. Those two players will be cheaper than Gusto, too.
Alternatively, Liverpool could sign Araujo permanently as their new right-back. But Araujo also has the potential to be Virgil van Dijk’s successor in central defence, meaning Liverpool still need a specialist right-back to replace the underwhelming Jeremie Frimpong.
Meanwhile, Liverpool have reportedly made contact to hijack a potential £100m Chelsea deal.
Plus, Alexis Mac Allister is in awe of an ‘incredible’ playmaker Chelsea hope to land.