Manchester City distance themselves from Malo Gusto pursuit with right-back stance revealed

Manchester City distance themselves from Malo Gusto pursuit with right-back stance revealed City sources have distanced the club from a move for Chelsea’s Malo Gusto this summer A move for Newcastle United’s Tino Livramento has also been ruled out by the club Manchester City do, however, view the signing of a new right-back as a possibility this window Manchester City have distanced themselves from reported interest in Chelsea right-back Malo Gusto, as per a new report from a club insider. The Blues have gone into the summer window without a recognised specialist right-back following Kyle Walker’s permanent departure to Burnley last summer, with Matheus Nunes and Rico Lewis sharing duties in the position across the 2025-26 campaign under Pep Guardiola . Director of football Hugo Viana is overseeing a wide-ranging rebuild at the Etihad Stadium ahead of incoming manager Enzo Maresca ‘s first season in charge, with the right-back position one of several areas of the squad under active review. Fabrizio Romano reveals Chelsea’s eye-watering valuation of Malo Gusto amid Man City interest City have monitored the market for a specialist in the role across two consecutive windows, ultimately deciding against making a move in either, but the consensus within the club has shifted going into this summer. Hafez: Gusto and Livramento ruled out, position still on City’s radar According to BBC Sport’s Shamoon Hafez , sources at Manchester City have moved to distance the club from a move for Malo Gusto , despite the Chelsea right-back having been linked with a switch to the Etihad Stadium in recent weeks. Hafez also reports that a deal for Tino Livramento — who had previously been mentioned as a target in reports from earlier in the year — has similarly been ruled out by the club, with Newcastle understood to be a party that does not wish to sell. Crucially, however, Hafez’s report stops short of suggesting City have abandoned their right-back pursuit altogether, noting that a new signing in the position remains a possibility this summer. What does City’s right-back search look like going forward? With Gusto and Livramento both off the table, the identity of City’s preferred target in the position remains unclear — though the club’s need for a specialist is not in question given the makeshift solutions Guardiola was forced to deploy throughout last season. Nunes impressed beyond expectations as a converted right-back, but his long-term future in that role under Maresca’s system remains to be seen, particularly as City pursue further midfield reinforcements of their own. Manchester City exploring £45M transfer to reunite Enzo Maresca with Chelsea defender Viana’s preference across his dealings so far has been for players who offer positional versatility alongside a clear technical profile — and whoever City identify as their right-back target is likely to fit that mould, rather than being a like-for-like replacement for the more defensively direct Walker. Whether the Blues move quickly on a replacement or allow the window to develop before committing to a target remains to be seen, but Hafez’s report confirms that the search is live, even as two of the most widely discussed names are now firmly out of the picture. Related Topics: chelsea, elliot anderson, Etihad Stadium, hugo viana, malo gusto, manchester city, matheus nunes, newcastle united, Premier League, rico lewis, right-back, tino livramento, Transfer News