Liverpool Pursue Malo Gusto to Strengthen Right Flank
Liverpool are lining up a bold raid on a Premier League rival as Andoni Iraola moves to fix one of the most awkward gaps in his squad.
The window has crept along at Anfield so far. Two signings, nothing more: Victor Munoz for £34.5 million from Osasuna, then Ronald Araujo arriving on loan from Barcelona at the start of the week. Solid business, but not enough for a manager who wants to hit full speed from day one.
Iraola has made it clear he wants more. More depth, more pace, more competition. And on his shopping list, two positions stand out: a winger and a right-back.
Right flank under the microscope
Bradley Barcola remains the headline attacking target. Liverpool like him, a lot. Paris Saint-Germain like him even more, which is why they have slapped a £145m price tag on his head. Unless that softens, Anfield will look elsewhere to bolster the forward line alongside Rio Ngumoha and Cody Gakpo.
While the search for a winger rumbles on, the situation at right-back has become harder to ignore.
Since Trent Alexander-Arnold walked away to Real Madrid on a free last summer, Liverpool have never truly settled that flank. Dominik Szoboszlai spent stretches of last season plugging gaps there. Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley both endured injury-hit campaigns. The balance never quite looked right.
Frimpong is currently first choice, but he is a natural wing-back, far happier high up the pitch than in a traditional back four. That tactical wrinkle has nudged Liverpool towards one name in particular.
Liverpool eye Malo Gusto
Chelsea’s Malo Gusto has emerged as a serious option.
The 23-year-old, according to Chelsea insider Simon Phillips, sits on the radar of Liverpool, Tottenham, Bayern Munich and Manchester City. That is the calibre of market Liverpool are operating in.
The problem is obvious: price. Chelsea have been quoting a £75m fee, a figure that already forced Man City to walk away from talks. They simply refused to go that high.
There is a twist, though. Phillips also reports that Gusto has been pushing to leave Stamford Bridge for four months, and that stance could yet drag the fee down. If Chelsea soften, Liverpool will be ready to move.
Gusto played 34 Premier League games last season, but his position in West London has shifted. The £47m signing of Marco Palestra from Atalanta has reshaped the right side of Xabi Alonso’s system. The Italian is expected to fight Reece James for minutes at right wing-back or even in midfield. That leaves Gusto squeezed, his starting opportunities under threat.
A rising defender at a crossroads
Chelsea paid £35m to take Gusto from Lyon in January 2023 when he was 19. Since then, he has grown into one of the league’s most eye-catching young defenders.
He can play as a right-back in a back four or as a wing-back in a more aggressive shape. He already has 16 caps for France. Across all competitions, he has made 134 appearances for Chelsea, scoring three times and setting up 17 more.
His profile is exactly what Iraola wants on that flank: a full-back who can run, tackle, and hurt teams going the other way. Gusto’s speed, bite and attacking edge would put real pressure on Frimpong and immediately raise the level of Liverpool’s right side.
Right now, the fee is the only real barrier. At £75m, Liverpool are reluctant to pull the trigger. If Chelsea blink and the number drops, the equation changes fast.
At that point, the question won’t be whether Liverpool want Malo Gusto. It will be whether he sees his future in Iraola’s Anfield rebuild or in a crowded Chelsea dressing room, watching others take the minutes he craves.
