Malo Gusto City Move Remains Unconfirmed After Latest Valuation Report

Correction and update, 19 July 2026: The original SportSignals article said Enzo Maresca had placed a premium on Malo Gusto and treated a Manchester City transfer as an active negotiation. The reporting reviewed here conflicts on City's intentions and Chelsea's valuation. No official club source confirmed a bid or completed move. This replacement removes the unsupported “Maresca premium” explanation and labels the story as a rumour.

The original report

CaughtOffside reported that Chelsea considered an offer for Gusto too low and attached a valuation to the defender. It framed the information through unnamed sources and did not include an official statement from Chelsea or Manchester City. Read the original CaughtOffside report.

The article's “Maresca premium” description was an interpretation, not a documented pricing policy from the Chelsea head coach. This replacement removes that causal claim and attributes all reported figures to the outlets that published them.

Independent reports did not tell one consistent story

The Independent reported in June that City had shown interest and that Chelsea valued Gusto at around £75 million. It described an exploratory situation rather than an agreed transfer. Read The Independent's report.

Football365 later reported that City were not planning to meet a £75 million valuation, citing a transfer update that played down an active move. Read Football365's update.

A Yahoo Sports report also described exploratory discussions while saying City were not the leading candidate at that stage. Read Yahoo Sports' report.

The latest report still did not confirm a City move

Sports Mole reported on 18 July that Gusto was not regarded as untouchable and that a bid in the region of £70 million could tempt Chelsea to sell. The report did not say Manchester City had made such a bid or that Chelsea had formally set that figure. Read the 18 July transfer report.

What can be said safely

As of the 19 July research cut-off, multiple outlets had linked Gusto with City, but they disagreed on the strength of the interest and the reported valuation. No reviewed Chelsea or Manchester City announcement confirmed a bid, negotiation or completed transfer. This article therefore remains labelled as a rumour and does not select one reported valuation as an official asking price.