Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital-backed Chelsea remain on active search in the current January transfer market as the Blues continue to look for new faces to add to the long-term senior squad under current manager Graham Potter and have set their sights on Olympique Lyonnais starlet Malo Gusto.
It was reported earlier today that the Blues have taken key steps in securing a deal for the highly-rated 19-year-old right-back who has rapidly developed into one of the club’s most-vital options on the pitch under manager Laurent Blanc, who has now agreed to personal terms with the Stamford Bridge outfit ahead of what looks to be an impending January move to the capital.
A fee has now been revealed by ESPN pundit and French expert Julien Laurens, with Chelsea needing to stump up to €40m (£35m) to get their man in the door before the conclusion of the winter window.
Malo Gusto is a great young talent with huge potential. Chelsea want him and he wants to go to Chelsea. With Reece James already there, is it wise? Let’s see first if it happens.@ESPNFC https://t.co/ms3e2BgYwv
— Julien Laurens (@LaurensJulien) January 24, 2023
Though the Blues have yet to submit a formal offer for the Lyon (Décines-Charpieu) native, Gusto is more than ready to jump at the chance to join the Premier League side, with the possible move seeing him offer both cover and long-term competition at right-back with Blues star Reece James.
James has been plagued by injury this season, which has left Potter to rely on 33-year-old Spanish veteran César Azpilicueta, whose future could still be away from the club come the summer despite his deal ending after the 2023-24 season.
Should a formal offer be submitted and accepted, Gusto’s signature would take the club’s total spending during the 2022-23 campaign to £470m, with the club having secured an additional six other winter signings in the vein of Mykhaylo Mudryk, Benoît Badiashile, João Félix, Noni Madueke, Andrey Santos and David Datro Fofana on top of a summer splurge for Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella, Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Carney Chukwuemeka, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Gabriel Slonina, and Denis Zakaria.
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