Malo Gusto, 19, will join Chelsea for $26.6 million plus add-ons. Earlier this month, Lyon head coach Laurent Blanc said that the board had promised to keep Gusto at the club for the remainder of the season.
Malo Gusto, a right defender from Lyon, has been acquired by Chelsea for £26.3 million. The 19-year-old will play out the remainder of the season on loan in France.
Gusto joins the Chelsea roster as the newest player, signing a seven-and-a-half-year contract at Stamford Bridge. He will remain with his former team through the 2022–2023 season, where he has made 15 Ligue 1 appearances.
Following Noni Madueke’s arrival in West London last week, his signing pushes Chelsea’s January spending above the £200 million threshold.
The board promised Laurent Blanc, the head coach of Lyon, that Gusto would remain with the team for the remainder of the season.
Blanc told reporters on Friday, “The board has assured to me that (Rayan) Cherki and Malo Gusto will be here until the end of the season.
The declaration corroborated the views of president Jean-Michel Aulas Aulas, who posted on social media that Gusto will remain with the French giants after this transfer season.
Gusto will now be loaned back to Lyon for the duration of current season, despite Chelsea having finalized the transfer, it appears the club has caved to the player’s demands.
Chelsea wanted to close the deal quickly because they are aware that Manchester United and Tottenham are also considering signing the France U21 international.
Due to a knee ailment, Reece James has only made one appearance for Chelsea since October 11; nevertheless, that game against Bournemouth last month saw him aggravate the problem and return to the sidelines.
The 2021/22 season was again cut short for the England international by a hamstring injury.
Despite having already spent close to £500 million on new players this season, Chelsea is still desperate to add a midfielder and right back this month.
The Blues have added 16 players since Todd Boehly’s group bought the team last summer, but they are still looking to bolster head coach Graham Potter’s roster in January.
Chelsea is still interested in the Benfica and Argentina player Enzo Fernandez, and they are considering making another offer.
How much money has Chelsea already spent in January?
With the completion of the Gusto deal, Chelsea’s January spending has increased to £216 million.
The deals the Blues have made are listed below:
- Benoit Badiashile, £35 million, Monaco
- Molde, unreported (reported £10 million transaction), David Datro Fofana
- Vasco da Gama – Andrey Santos, unidentified (reported £18 million transaction)
- Atletico Madrid loaned Joao Felix £9.7 million
- Shakhtar Donetsk – Mykhailo Mudryk, £88.5m
- Noni Madueke, £29 million, PSV Eindhoven
- Malo Gusto-Lyon, $26.6 million
Since Todd Boehly became the club’s new owner, Chelsea has spent roughly £485 million, including £270 million during the summer transfer window.
