The €88m transfer that Chelsea can't afford to agree this summer

Analysis

Cameron Smith | Digital Content Producer

Accredited sports journalist covering football since 2020

Chelsea are reportedly open to selling Malo Gusto if they receive an offer worth €88 million (£75m) before the end of the summer transfer window.

The France international, who is currently participating at the World Cup, has been a key player at Stamford Bridge since his arrival from Lyon for €30m in 2023, but he is one of several players who could depart the west London giants ahead of next season.

Gusto has racked up 134 first-team appearances for Chelsea, registering 20 goal contributions, however his form during the latter stages of the 2025-26 campaign was a serious concern and the Blues are willing to sanction a sale if a suitable bid arrives.

Manchester City are understood to be keen admirers of the 23-year-old, with new boss Enzo Maresca eager to secure a reunion with his former Chelsea star, although reports indicate they are unwilling to match the current asking price.

The signing of Atalanta right-back Marco Palestra for €55m has raised serious questions over Gusto’s long-term future at Chelsea and it appears as though a transfer away from the club could certainly be on the cards as the Blues look to oversee a sizable squad overhaul ahead of Xabi Alonso’s debut campaign in charge.

However, offloading Gusto could be a huge blunder, despite his recent dip in form.

Analysis: Why Chelsea should keep Malo Gusto this summer

Gusto’s first season at Chelsea was excellent. In fact, he was arguably the club’s second-best performer under Mauricio Pochettino, behind the imperious Cole Palmer.

But, his form undoubtedly dipped under Enzo Maresca, and it’s yet to recover. Gusto still consistently makes the same mistake - failing to adequately track his winger at the back post - and it’s an issue that hasn’t been resolved in three years at Stamford Bridge.

Despite this, he does still have a number of redeeming qualities. He is tactically flexible, as proven by the number of different ways he has played the right-back role at Chelsea, he is a fantastic athlete and he is excellent in possession too.

His quality in the final-third will be an issue if Alonso chooses to deploy him as a wing-back, given his crossing isn’t strong and he isn’t convincing in front of goal, but those are issues that can certainly be looked past in a back-four system.

Furthermore, the aforementioned Palestra is still incredibly raw. He has arrived at Chelsea as the reigning Serie A Defender of the Year, however he is only 21 years old and he has just 53 senior games under his belt to date.

So, while Palestra is a fantastic talent, Chelsea shouldn’t rely on him to immediately become a fixture in the starting XI from the get-go, and Reece James’ persistent injury troubles mean the Italian could feasibly be the only available right-back for large parts of next season if Gusto is sold.

James’ fitness has vastly improved over the past year, thanks to the work of the Chelsea medical department and the careful workload placed on him, but he is currently out with another hamstring issue and there is a good chance that he may not play again at the World Cup.

Although it looked as though he could be relied upon consistently last season, his recent setback suggests that James still hasn’t quite managed to shake off his injury woes and selling Gusto would therefore heap immense pressure on Palestra.

Josh Acheampong could, of course, fill in at right-back, but his future lies as a central defender and the early signs suggest he could be given an opportunity in his best position under Alonso. Furthermore, the England U21 star certainly isn’t a realistic option for a wing-back berth if Alonso wants to deploy a 3-4-3 system.

Palestra could hit the ground running at Chelsea, but it isn’t worth the risk, and keeping Gusto at the club would therefore be advisable, especially if James needs to be managed on a weekly basis in order to ensure he doesn’t suffer another long-term injury problem.