Manchester City hold Malo Gusto transfer talks with Chelsea after Marco Palestra setback
Man City have held talks with Chelsea over right-back Malo Gusto
Chelsea are open to offers for the 23-year-old France international
Enzo Maresca’s close relationship with Gusto is understood to be driving City’s interest
Manchester City have held talks with Chelsea over a potential move for right-back Malo Gusto this summer, with the 23-year-old’s agent in discussions with a number of clubs over his future at Stamford Bridge.
City’s interest in the right-back position has been building throughout the off-season, with sporting director Hugo Viana identified as the driving force behind a search for a specialist in the role.
AdvertisementAdvertisementMatheus Nunes performed admirably as a makeshift option at right-back throughout the 2025-26 campaign but City’s hierarchy are understood to want a dedicated occupant for the position as Enzo Maresca prepares to begin his first season in charge at the Etihad Stadium.
Enzo Maresca shortlists £31M Chelsea defender as blockbuster Manchester City signing
Gusto joined Chelsea from Lyon in January 2023 and has established himself as first-choice right-back at Stamford Bridge, racking up significant Premier League minutes under a succession of managers.
He is currently representing France at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Didier Deschamps selecting him as part of Les Bleus’ squad in North America.
The Gusto link is not new from a City perspective. L’Equipe reported an enquiry from Viana’s department earlier this month, at which point the connection to Maresca – who worked closely with Gusto during his time as Chelsea manager – was flagged as a key factor behind City’s attraction to the player.
Maresca was also reported at the time to have shortlisted Gusto as a potential first signing at the Etihad Stadium, underlining how long the Italian has held an admiration for his former player.
Report: Chelsea open to offers with Maresca driving the deal
As reported by Stamford Bridge insider Simon Phillips on his Substack and relayed by Talk Chelsea, Gusto’s agent is in talks with “a few clubs” about a potential departure from Stamford Bridge this summer, with Manchester City and Inter Milan named as the two sides who have specifically engaged in dialogue with Chelsea over a deal.
Chelsea are described as ‘open to offers’ for the 23-year-old right-back, with the club’s own hierarchy reportedly confident they would be able to find an adequate replacement should a sale be sanctioned.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe report adds that Gusto was ‘close’ to Maresca during the Italian’s spell in west London, and that it is Maresca himself who appears to be the primary force behind any City pursuit.
Manchester City make transfer enquiry for Chelsea right-back
Chelsea’s own summer business has already seen Marc Cucurella depart for Real Madrid, meaning their first-choice full-backs on both sides could yet be sold before the window closes – a significant shift in the look of the squad Maresca inherited and now leaves behind at Stamford Bridge.
What would Gusto bring to Manchester City?
At 23, Gusto fits precisely the profile Viana has sought to target across City’s broader rebuild – young, proven at Premier League level, and with considerable room to develop further under a manager who already knows his strengths and limitations intimately.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe familiarity angle is not insignificant. Maresca’s City predecessor Pep Guardiola consistently leaned on full-backs who could function as inverted options in possession, and Gusto’s natural comfort carrying the ball into midfield zones makes him adaptable to the kind of system Maresca is expected to implement at the Etihad Stadium.
However, City’s position in the right-back market remains far from settled. Inter Milan are also advanced in their own pursuit, while Viana’s department continues to monitor alternatives including Feyenoord’s Givairo Read – meaning Gusto is not necessarily the guaranteed destination even if Chelsea’s openness to a sale holds firm.
Whether City can get ahead of Inter and bring the deal to a conclusion before Gusto returns from World Cup duty remains to be seen.
Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
