PSG's Summer Transfer Plans: Malo Gusto and Squad Reinforcements
Sixty-seven days after lifting the Champions League for the second time in their history, Paris Saint-Germain were dragged back to earth with a thud.
A 3-0 defeat to Real Mallorca – a side freshly relegated to Spain’s second tier – is not how European champions are supposed to reappear. Yes, a large chunk of PSG’s internationals are still missing. Yes, it was a first run-out in August legs. But the scoreline cut through the excuses and pointed straight at a familiar theme in Paris: the squad is still under construction.
And the market, once again, is where they hope to fix it.
A Squad in Transition, a Market in Motion
Behind the scenes, PSG are pushing hard on several fronts.
Lucas Digne and Magnes Akliouche are both poised on the threshold of the club. Neither deal is officially over the line, but their names sit at the top of the incoming list as Paris try to refresh and deepen Luis Enrique’s options before the season truly starts to bite.
They are not alone. The club are working on complex moves for goalkeeper Zion Suzuki from Parma and Mika Godts from Ajax. Those negotiations are dragging, not collapsing, but they underline a simple reality: PSG want more bodies, and not just for the sake of numbers.
They want versatility. They want competition. They want insurance.
Which is where Malo Gusto comes in.
Malo Gusto: From Lyon Prodigy to Paris Target
According to English outlet The Sun, PSG have turned their attention to Chelsea right-back Malo Gusto, another Frenchman who fits the club’s growing preference for national-team calibre players with room to grow.
Gusto, 23, born in Décines-Charpieu, is a product of the Olympique Lyonnais academy, the same conveyor belt that has produced a long line of French internationals. Chelsea paid 35 million euros to bring him to London in 2023, a clear bet on his potential.
Last season, he justified a good chunk of that faith. Forty-nine matches in all competitions. Three goals. Five assists. Enough impact and consistency to earn a place in the France squad for the 2026 World Cup. Those are not the numbers of a fringe player; they are the profile of a modern full-back who can live high up the pitch and still do the hard yards going the other way.
For a club like PSG, that matters. For a coach like Luis Enrique, it matters even more.
The Price of Ambition
There is, however, a problem. A big one. Gusto is valued at 87 million euros.
Even in a market that has long since lost its grip on logic, that figure bites. It is a price tag that reflects age, output, contract length and Premier League inflation all rolled into one. It also reflects Chelsea’s position: they do not have to sell. They simply might be willing to.
Manchester City, also on the hunt for a right-back, have Gusto on their list. That alone nudges the number higher. Chelsea, for their part, have not ruled out a sale. The path is not blocked, but it is expensive, steep and full of negotiation traps.
From Paris, the response is cautious. According to The Sun, PSG are actively studying the deal, running the numbers and asking the key question: is Gusto worth that kind of outlay in this window, with these priorities?
Luis Enrique’s answer, at least in footballing terms, appears clear. The report claims the Spaniard likes the profile, has validated the idea and sees Gusto as a genuine alternative to Achraf Hakimi on the right. A player who can rotate, push, and, in time, perhaps even challenge.
Hakimi, Zaïre-Emery and a Non-Priority That Won’t Go Away
This is where the story becomes more nuanced.
Right-back has not been at the top of PSG’s to-do list this summer. Hakimi remains a pillar of the side, and Warren Zaïre-Emery’s strong showings as an emergency option on that flank gave the club breathing space. The teenager’s maturity and adaptability lowered the urgency to recruit another specialist in that zone.
Yet football rarely respects static plans. The Mallorca defeat, even as a pre-season footnote, sharpened the sense that depth and competition across the pitch will define how long PSG can stay at the top this season.
A move for Gusto would not be about plugging a glaring hole. It would be about upgrading the margins, about protecting themselves against injuries, suspensions and the sheer volume of games that comes with defending a Champions League crown.
Non-priority or not, the idea lingers.
Chelsea’s Door Ajar
On the Chelsea side, the context is shifting as well.
The London club are open to selling Gusto, especially after the arrival of Marco Balestra, which adds another body to their defensive options. That openness does not mean a discount. It means a conversation.
For PSG, the equation is brutal in its simplicity: pay close to the valuation and secure a high-ceiling, France international right-back entering his prime, or walk away and trust that Hakimi, Zaïre-Emery and internal solutions will be enough across a demanding season.
In France, nothing about the Gusto pursuit has been confirmed. No green lights, no formal bids, no agreement in principle. Just interest, analysis and a number that refuses to come down.
The European champions have already been reminded, in 90 sobering minutes against Real Mallorca, that reputations do not win games. The question now is whether they are willing to pay Champions League prices to make sure that lesson does not repeat itself when the real season starts.
