There is “no chance” of Liverpool completing the signing of Chelsea right-back Malo Gusto, according to ex-England goalkeeper Paul Robinson.
With Trent Alexander-Arnold’s Reds future very much up in the air, the club will need to be looking at potential replacements at right-back.
While nothing concrete has emerged regarding Liverpool’s vice-captain’s decision over a new contract, it is easy to see his head being turned by Real Madrid.
Gusto has been linked with a move to Anfield, but speaking to Football Insider, Robinson shut down the rumours, admitting he can’t see it happening.
“No chance. He’s been playing a lot for Chelsea with the injuries Reece James has had. There’s a lot of players who have played with James who will tell you he’s one of the best full-backs they’ve played with, but his injury record.
“You look at what Chelsea are carrying now and what their model is, we ridiculed the amount of players they have, but with a win at the weekend they could go top of the Premier League.
“Malo Gusto has been a key part of that and Chelsea will not want to sell an important player to a title rival. I think that would be a very, very difficult deal for Liverpool to do.”
Our thoughts on this Gusto to Liverpool latest…
It is hard to see Chelsea being willing to sell Gusto to Liverpool, so Robinson’s comments make plenty of sense.
With Reece James’ injuries now becoming a huge concern for the Blues, the 21-year-old may no longer be seen as the Englishman’s understudy and instead a key starter moving forward.
Gusto has impressed for Chelsea this season, completing 89.8% of his passes in the Premier League and helping his side be a part of the title race, while Enzo Maresca has said of him:
“Malo is doing fantastic. I’ve said many times that one of the reasons why we are where we are at this moment is because of Malo. He helps us a lot in terms of the process. With us, he has played as a higher full-back, full-back inside, a full-back in the pocket. He is playing three or four positions and is learning different things.”
It would make little sense for Chelsea to sell Gusto to a direct rival, but so if Alexander-Arnold does move on, Liverpool will likely have to look elsewhere. Hopefully, their current star is going nowhere, though.
