Chelsea has completed the signing of Lyon right-back Malo Gusto for £26.3m with the player set to spend the rest of the season in Ligue 1. 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 old team through the 2022–2023 season, where he has made 15 Ligue 1 appearance. 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.
“The board has promised to keep (Rayan) Cherki and Malo Gusto on staff till the end of the current campaign,” Lyon head coach Laurent Blanc said about Gusto’s move to Chelsea.
Gusto will now be loaned back to Lyon for the remainder of this season while Chelsea has finalized the transaction, seemingly caving into 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 committed to adding 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 considering making a fresh offer for Argentina and Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez.
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