Italian football manager Enzo Maresca is poised to take over as the successor to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, pending a settlement agreement with Chelsea. Maresca is reportedly keen on reuniting with Malo Gusto, a right-back currently playing for France at the World Cup.
Manchester City is looking to sign a new right-back and had previously expressed interest in another player, Marco Palestra. Chelsea is open to selling Gusto and has indicated that an offer of at least £40m would be accepted, which would result in a small profit on the £31m spent on the former Lyon defender.
However, Chelsea's valuation of Gusto is significantly higher, at £75m. There is interest in the 23-year-old from other European clubs, and it is unclear whether he is interested in a transfer. This price tag may deter Manchester City, who have recently spent a record £116m on Nottingham Forest and England star Elliott Anderson.
Gusto's future at Chelsea is uncertain, but that of his teammate Josh Acheampong appears more secure. The young defender has been the subject of transfer interest but is considered one of the club's 'untouchable' players. Chelsea now views Acheampong exclusively as a centre-back, and his game time may be limited further with the arrival of Palestra.
The impending signing of Palestra and the pursuit of Crystal Palace star Maxence Lacroix suggest that Chelsea's new manager, Xabi Alonso, plans to implement a 3-4-2-1 formation. This tactic was used to great success by Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen. Chelsea's strategy will be put to the test when they face local rivals Fulham in their opening game of the 2026/27 Premier League season on August 24.
