PSG's Pursuit of Malo Gusto: The Right-Back Reinforcement
Sixty-seven days after lifting the Champions League trophy for a second time, Paris Saint-Germain were dragged back to earth with a thud.
Their first outing of the new campaign ended in a bruising 3-0 defeat to Real Mallorca, a side freshly relegated to Spain’s second tier. A glorified training exercise on paper, it became a reminder that this squad is still under construction and that the transfer window, for PSG, is far from over.
PSG’s rebuild gathers pace
Luis Enrique had to make do without a large chunk of his international core, but the absentees only sharpened the focus on what is still missing. Reinforcements are coming, just not yet through the door.
Lucas Digne and Magnes Akliouche are both poised to join, hovering on the threshold of the Parc des Princes without any official announcement. Behind them, other files are grinding forward: PSG are pushing for goalkeeper Zion Suzuki from Parma and Mika Godts from Ajax, two complicated negotiations that continue to drag on.
And then, almost out of nowhere, another name has entered the conversation.
Malo Gusto, the new French target
According to English outlet The Sun, PSG have set their sights on Chelsea right-back Malo Gusto, another Frenchman to add to the growing tricolore core in Paris.
At 23, Gusto already carries the profile of a modern full-back: explosive, aggressive in the press, and relentlessly involved in the final third. Born in Décines-Charpieu and developed at Olympique Lyonnais, he earned his move to Chelsea in 2023 for €35 million, a deal that underlined his status as one of Ligue 1’s most promising exports.
Last season, he delivered the kind of workload that catches elite clubs’ attention. Forty-nine matches in all competitions for Chelsea, 3 goals, 5 assists, and a place in France’s squad for the 2026 World Cup. Those numbers, allied to his age and ceiling, explain why his name sits high on more than one shortlist.
Manchester City, also in the market for a right-back, had already identified him as a potential signing this summer. Chelsea, crucially, have not closed the door on a sale.
A costly alternative to Hakimi
The obstacle is obvious: the price. Gusto is currently valued at €87 million, a figure that even in PSG’s financial universe feels excessive for a player who would arrive as an understudy.
The Paris hierarchy are said to be dissecting the deal, weighing whether his qualities justify such an outlay. The Sun reports that his profile appeals strongly to Luis Enrique, who has approved Gusto as a serious alternative to Achraf Hakimi on the right flank.
That in itself is significant. Right-back was not supposed to be a priority this summer. Warren Zaïre-Emery’s impressive performances when drafted in as cover for Hakimi had eased any sense of urgency, and PSG’s energy had been directed elsewhere on the pitch.
Yet the landscape can shift quickly. The chance to sign a France international-level full-back, already proven in the Premier League and still years from his peak, forces a club to at least run the numbers.
Chelsea ready to deal
On Chelsea’s side, the stance is pragmatic. The London club are open to selling Gusto, especially after the arrival of Marco Balestra, which adds another layer of competition on the right.
That openness does not automatically make a transfer likely. For PSG, committing close to €90 million on a position already occupied by one of the world’s best in Hakimi would be a bold statement in a window where other areas also demand attention.
For now, the Gusto file sits in the “under study” pile in Paris. No confirmation in France, no green light, just a name that refuses to go away as the champions of Europe search for the next piece of a squad that still feels incomplete.
The question is simple: how much is a luxury like Malo Gusto really worth to a club that already has Achraf Hakimi – and how far are PSG prepared to go to find out?
