Chelsea
have reached an agreement in principle with Lyon for the signing of
right-back Malo Gusto.
The west London side have agreed to pay £26.3m plus add-ons for the services
of the 19-year-old, who will join the club in the summer.
Lyon head coach Laurent Blanc said that the board had guaranteed to him that
Gusto would stay at the club for the rest of the season.
"The board have guaranteed to me that (Rayan) Cherki and Malo Gusto will be
here until the end of the season," Blanc told reporters on Friday.
The statement echoed the thoughts of president Jean-Michel Aulas Aulas who
took to social media and declared Gusto would continue with the French
giants beyond this transfer window.
But it appears the club has bowed down to the player's wishes and while
Chelsea have agreed the deal, Gusto will now be loaned back to Lyon for the
remainder of this campaign.
Chelsea wanted a deal now as they are aware other clubs - such as Manchester
United and Tottenham - are interested in the France U21 international.
Reece James has played just once for Chelsea since October 11 due to a knee
injury, with the sole appearance - against Bournemouth last month - seeing
him aggravate the issue and return to the sidelines.
The England international also missed several months of the 2021/22 season
with a hamstring injury.
Chelsea are determined to sign a midfielder and right-back this month,
despite already spending almost £500m on new players this season.
The Blues have signed 16 players since Todd Boehly's consortium purchased
the club last summer, but remain keen to add to head coach Graham Potter's
squad during the January window.
Enzo Fernandez is still a target and Chelsea are considering making a new
bid for the Benfica and Argentina midfielder.
How much have Chelsea spent in January so
far?
Chelsea's
January spending has risen to £190m now the Noni Madueke signing has been
completed.
Here are the deals the Blues have made:
- Benoit Badiashile - Monaco, £35m
- David Datro Fofana - Molde, undisclosed (reported £10m deal)
- Andrey Santos - Vasco da Gama, undisclosed (reported £18m deal)
- Joao Felix - Atletico Madrid, £9.7m loan
- Mykhailo Mudryk - Shakhtar Donetsk, £88.5m
- Noni Madueke - PSV Eindhoven
Chelsea have now spent around £460m since Todd Boehly became the new owner
of the club, having spent £270m in the summer transfer window.
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