Chelsea signed Malo Gusto from Lyon.
Chelsea have agreed to buy Malo Gusto from Olympique Lyonnais for €30 million (£26.3 million) with add-ons, as the Blues finally secured a Reece James backup.
Although Chelsea and the player have an agreement to sign the player in principle (h/t Mirror.UK), the 19-year-old will not move to the club during the current transfer window as he will play his 2022–2023 season with Lyon before joining Chelsea the following season.
The 19-year-old will also miss his game for Lyons in order to complete his medical test ahead of a move to Chelsea in the summer window.
The Blues have signed another youngster. Gusto would be a backup option for James, who recently returned from injury after suffering another knee ailment.
The French player has made 15 appearances for Lyon and has contributed an assist. Considering the player joins the Blues in the summer, the club would face a right-back shortage.
Despite recovering from an injury, England’s international return is still uncertain. Gusto may have been given time till the end of the season by Chelsea, which is a positive indication as the player will have plenty of time and will be under less pressure to turn things around and fix the right-back issues.
Given Chelsea’s recent performance, bringing him in January might have caused panic purchases since the 19-year-old could have been anticipated to produce at his highest level and might have been included in the starting lineup.
The fact that Chelsea have identified a right-back alternative and given him time to complete his season in France is a brilliant move. We have acquired a highly skilled right-back since the player expressed a preference for Chelsea above all other clubs, showing that he would be fully devoted to the team.
A full-pre season will be important, so hopefully, the Frenchman is in top shape when he finally returns to SW6 at the end of the season. On paper, he looks the perfect understudy to Reece James – one who can challenge for a starting spot but isn’t a world-class name who would not be okay with being below the England international in the pecking order.
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