Manchester City were found guilty of 114 of 115 financial charges last month. In January, they intend to break the world transfer record for a right-back.
City have reactivated their interest in Chelsea’s Malo Gusto, with the Stamford Bridge hierarchy softening on the £70m valuation that killed the deal in the summer, according to a TEAMtalk exclusive by Graeme Bailey. Any transfer in that range would eclipse Achraf Hakimi’s £57m right-back record, set when he joined Paris Saint-Germain from Inter Milan in 2021.
The 114-charge shadow
An independent panel found City guilty of 114 of 115 charges in late September, with the Premier League confirming the verdict publicly on 28 September. The club filed its appeal on 1 October, and under new Premier League rules the hearing has to conclude within 12 weeks.
That puts the appeal in front of a fresh three-person panel by mid-December, with a verdict expected within 30 days of the hearing. The sanctions range is as broad as it is severe: a fine, a transfer ban, a points deduction, expulsion from the Premier League, or being stripped of past titles.
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That timeline is the reason the January window matters. If the Etihad hierarchy wants a world-record right-back on the books, they want him signed before any ruling on transfer bans or points deductions catches up with them.
The Chelsea squeeze
Gusto, 23, joined Chelsea from Lyon in January 2023 and is under contract at Stamford Bridge until 2030. He has slipped down the pecking order this season, with captain Reece James first choice on the right.
The French international was keen on a reunion with Maresca in the summer. The Italian managed Gusto at Stamford Bridge before taking over at the Etihad in June, and the player’s preference was a straight move to his old boss. Chelsea’s £70m demand priced City out.
Football365 reports that “the door has opened” because Chelsea have shown a willingness to lower their demands, though the new figure has not been disclosed. Chelsea have signalled they are prepared to listen rather than name a price.
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City’s current options at right-back are Matheus Nunes and Abdukodir Khusanov. The appeal hearing against the 114-charge verdict has to conclude by mid-December, and any January move for Gusto will have to be registered before that ruling lands.
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