PSG's Transfer Strategy: Pursuing Malo Gusto Amid Squad Challenges
Sixty-seven days after lifting the Champions League trophy for the second time, Paris Saint-Germain were brought crashing back to earth.
Their first outing of the new campaign ended in a sobering 3-0 defeat to Real Mallorca, a side freshly relegated to Spain’s second division. A pre-season scoreline, yes, but also a reminder: this European champion is still under construction.
A thin squad, a busy office
Luis Enrique travelled without a sizeable chunk of his internationals, and the makeshift nature of the side showed. The real work, though, is happening off the pitch.
PSG are still pushing to reinforce before the serious games begin. Lucas Digne and Magnes Akliouche are both poised on the threshold of the club, deals all but done but not yet made official. Two signings for depth and rotation, two pieces in a broader rebuild.
Behind them, more complex dossiers grind forward. Talks continue for goalkeeper Zion Suzuki of Parma and Ajax winger Mika Godts, negotiations described as complicated but alive. Nothing is simple in this market, least of all for a club that every selling director knows can pay.
And yet, Paris might not be finished there.
A new French target: Malo Gusto
In England, “The Sun” has placed another name on PSG’s radar: Malo Gusto, Chelsea’s 23-year-old right-back.
Born in Décines-Charpieu and schooled at Olympique Lyonnais, Gusto left Ligue 1 in 2023 in a €35 million deal to Stamford Bridge. Since then he has grown into a regular presence, racking up 49 matches in all competitions last season, with 3 goals and 5 assists to underline his attacking edge from deep. His rise carried him all the way to the France squad for the 2026 World Cup.
That profile has not gone unnoticed. Manchester City, also in the market for a right-back, listed Gusto among their options earlier in the window. Chelsea, for their part, have not closed the door on a sale.
There is, however, the matter of price.
The €87 million question
Gusto is valued at €87 million, a figure that would test even PSG’s financial appetite. For a player admired for his energy, technical quality and modern full-back profile, it is still a daunting sum.
Inside Paris, according to “The Sun”, the club is running the numbers and the arguments. They like the player. Luis Enrique likes him even more. The Spaniard has reportedly approved Gusto as a serious option to rotate with, and occasionally relieve, Achraf Hakimi on the right flank.
On paper, it fits. In practice, it collides with the realities of squad planning.
Right-back was never meant to be a priority this summer, not after Warren Zaïre-Emery impressed so convincingly when asked to fill in for Hakimi. The teenager’s versatility has allowed PSG to push resources towards other areas of the pitch.
So the debate in Paris is clear: is Gusto good enough, and needed enough, to justify a fee close to €90 million?
Chelsea’s stance and a shifting market
If PSG decide to move, Chelsea will listen. The London club are open to his departure, especially following the arrival of Marco Balestra, which adds another body to their defensive options and loosens their grip on Gusto.
For now, in France, nothing is confirmed. No green light, no agreement, just a live file on the recruitment desk and a player whose name keeps circulating in the corridors.
PSG have already been reminded, brutally, that being European champions does not guarantee a smooth new season. Whether they choose to answer that warning by launching a major move for Malo Gusto could define not just their right flank, but the tone of their entire summer.
