According to reports, Manchester City are ‘ready’ to sign Chelsea star Malo Gusto in the upcoming winter transfer window.

Man City have been heavily linked with the French international over the past few months, with head coach Enzo Maresca said to be keen to reunite with the right-back at the Etihad.

However, this move did not progress because Man City were reportedly put off by Chelsea’s £70m asking price for the defender.

Man City still completed a raid on Chelsea as they bought World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez for around £125m to complete their midfield rebuild after the exits of Rodri, Nico Gonzalez and Tijani Reijnders.

Maresca’s side also recruited Elliot Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi, and these additions have helped Man City have a sensational start to the 2026/27 campaign on the pitch.

Man City have won their first seven Premier League matches to sit top of the table, though there is a dark cloud hanging over the club after the guilty FFP verdict.

City have been found guilty on 114 of their 115 charges after being accused of breaching the Premier League’s FFP rules between 2009 and 2018.

Despite this, Man City continue to insist on their innocence and have appealed, but their possible punishments include a huge fine, transfer ban, points deduction, expulsion and/or being stripped of their Premier League titles.

Man City plan to return for Malo Gusto in January

This situation does not seem to be deterring Man City, with our colleagues at TEAMtalk reporting that they are ‘ready to sign’ Gusto in January in a potential ‘world record transfer’ barring the ‘important caveat’ of their FFP situation.

A deal worth £70m would set a new world record transfer for a right-back, with £57m PSG star Achraf Hakimi holding the current record.

And it is claimed that the ‘door has opened’ for Man City to land Gusto because Chelsea have shown a willingness to lower their demands.

The report claims:

‘We understand Chelsea’s demands have since dropped, potentially opening the door for City to return to the negotiating table when the January window opens.

‘Gusto remains high on City’s radar, and the Manchester club are prepared to revisit the situation if the financial conditions become more favourable.’