Chelsea have signed Lyon’s Malo Gusto, according to reports. A right-back has been a priority for Chelsea all month, and they have finally settled on 19-year-old Gusto of France.
Despite Chelsea’s opening bid, Lyon declined the offer. They reiterated their intention to keep Gusto for the remainder of the season. This meanwhile left the door open to pinning down a deal for the defender to return to Lyon.
Instead of turning away from Gusto and pursuing another target, Chelsea listened to Lyon’s demands. They signed a loan deal to keep the right-back in France.
As part of the deal, Chelsea are expected to pay an initial €30m for Gusto, who is in London for a medical before returning to France. Gusto’s loan to Lyon is expected to be confirmed soon, unlike Christopher Nkunku’s transfer from RB Leipzig to Chelsea which will only take effect at the end of this season.
Malo Gusto is a backup for Reece James in the Chelsea squad
Despite having full faith in their current right-back, Reece James, the Blues have been looking for high-level cover for the England international, who has struggled with injuries. Inter’s Denzel Dumfries was among those linked with a move to Stamford Bridge. But Chelsea settled on Malo Gusto and avoided changing their plan.
It leaves Chelsea with just James as the natural choice to play at wing-back, while Cesar Azpilicueta is a more traditional right-back. Additionally, Chelsea will loan debutant midfielder Cesare Casadei to Reading for the first time. Casadei joined Chelsea from Inter in an expensive deal during the summer.
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