Chelsea slap staggering price tag on wantaway star to deter Man City interest

24 Jun 2026 14:05 BST | 5 min read

Suraj Radia | Editor

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Chelsea have placed an astronomical price tag on Malo Gusto to deter interest from Manchester City, with the defender considering his options this summer.

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Reports have linked Gusto to a reunion with Enzo Maresca at City once the Italian is formally announced as the club’s new manager, with the pair having enjoyed a strong relationship together at Stamford Bridge.

Current ETV

Malo Gusto

D (R)

Chelsea

Malo Gusto

D (R)

Chelsea

ETV Range

€41.3M - €50.5M

Chelsea are close to completing a deal to sign wing-back Marco Palestra from Atalanta for €60 million in a move that would likely impact Gusto’s first team opportunities and the BBC report that the 23-year-old has already held ‘exploratory talks’ with multiple clubs including City.

However, Chelsea are understood to be demanding a fee of £75m (€87m) to part ways with Gusto, which would make him the most expensive full-back of all time.

City already are described as not seeing Gusto as a ‘leading candidate’ at this stage of the window, although the club are in the market for a new right-back.

Chelsea are not looking to sell Gusto and still value him as a member of the first team but, with the Frenchman still having a contract until 2030.

Malo Gusto: Chelsea looking for Alonso-approved upgrade on defender

Gusto joined Chelsea in 2023 for €30m and he has been a regular feature in the first team since, having regularly filled in for captain Reece James at right-back during the skipper’s prolonged injury issues.

© IMAGO - Malo Gusto could leave Chelsea this summer.

Chelsea are hopeful that James’ worst problems are behind them and Palestra is likely to be more suited to the tactical style of incoming manager Xabi Alonso, who is known to prefer a wing-back based system.

With Chelsea also eyeing a replacement at left-back for the departed Marc Cucurella, Gusto could find his minutes significantly limited next season despite playing in 34 league games last year.

Although Gusto has been a key figure for Chelsea, his performances have often been inconsistent and it is expected that Alonso will prefer a more attacking-minded wing-back, hence the interest in Palestra.

Gusto’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) is believed to be around €45.9m and it would be a major coup if Chelsea could generate significantly more than that amount from his sale.

Maresca’s appointment at City will likely dictate the club’s level of interest in Gusto but, with plenty of teams said to be interested, Chelsea’s hopes of keeping their young defender will be slim even with their deterring asking price.

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