Revealed: Why Man City have halted Malo Gusto pursuit despite Enzo Maresca seal of approval | OneFootball

Manchester City have been described as big admirers of Chelsea full-back Malo Gusto, but his £75 million price tag is considered prohibitively high, according to reports. 

Following Pep Guardiola’s departure after 10 years at the club, Enzo Maresca nears his first season at the Etihad helm and is working his hardest to assemble his strongest-looking City squad ahead of the opening Premier League game against Bournemouth on August 23. 

City have already signed Elliot Anderson for £116 million from Nottingham Forest, with the formalities of the move set to be completed when Anderson returns from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Maresca has chipped in with more signings and approaches, including Jeremy Monga from his former club Leicester City, whom he led to Premier League promotion in the 2023-24 season as head coach. 

And while City have been pushing hard for Morocco international Ayyoub Bouaddi, who impressed in the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer – similar approaches, although desired, have not been made for Gusto just yet, whose valuation from Chelsea is £75 million.

Strong bond makes Maresca and City keep coming back

According to The Athletic’s Sam Lee, Gusto’s price is far too high for City, and unless there is a major change in that regard, City will have to look elsewhere for options that, really, don’t exist in today’s market.

Gusto, 23, won the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Conference League under Maresca, and it is understood that their bond has been the main driver in the multiple enquiries made by City. 

Since his £31 million move from Lyon in 2023, Gusto has appeared 134 times and become one of the Stamford Bridge side’s most talented players in the shadow of Reece James, who has frequently dealt with injury problems over the past seven years. 

The impact that Gusto has had throughout that period justifies the fee that Chelsea want and will be unlikely to alter their stance due to the France international having a contract running until the summer of 2030.

Is there a need for Gusto whilst Nunes and Lewis remain at Man City?

It is certainly up for debate as to whether City have all they need in Matheus Nunes and Rico Lewis, who both play at right-back but can drift into a more advanced position in midfield. 

Nunes was initially brought to the Etihad Stadium from Wolves in 2023 as a central midfielder and looked set to star there before Guardiola transformed the Portugal international into a key replacement for Kyle Walker. 

And while Nunes admitted to a negative reaction to the initial transition, which shone the brightest in a disastrous display in a 2-0 Premier League defeat to Manchester United in January, he has since improved tenfold.

Lewis fell out of favour with Guardiola during the 55-year-old’s final season at the club, but it is now clear that Maresca will be giving everyone a chance to impress as the new City boss looks to start with a blank canvas – even Jack Grealish and Kalvin Phillips, who both returned recently from last season’s loan moves – will feature during City’s pre-season tour of Asia.

Gusto has age and the familiarity of Maresca on his side and would likely leapfrog Nunes in what the Italian manager would deem his strongest line-up, yet there is simply no way that Hugo Viana, the club’s sporting director, will go about the deal without some negotiation on lowering his price, as £75 million is far too much.