Who is Malo Gusto? Lyon’s teenage right-back linked with Chelsea and Man Utd transfer

Suraj Radia

21 Jan 2023 08:39 CST
3 min read

Malo Gusto, France U21, 2022 — © ProShots

Malo Gusto is a player who may soon end up being the focus of a transfer saga, with the Lyon wonderkid continuing to impress and establish himself as one of Europe’s top young defenders.

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The 19-year-old has become one of the first names on Lyon’s teamsheet and has been linked with big money moves to Chelsea and Newcastle in recent weeks.

But who is the young Frenchman who has taken Ligue 1 by storm? FootballTransfers tells you everything you need to know about the top right-back prospect on the market.

OPTION: Man Utd assess right-back move

What position does Gusto play in?

Malo Gusto is primarily a right-back but he is capable of playing further forward as a wing-back or a wide midfielder and, on rare occasions, he has featured as a central defender.

How good is Malo Gusto?

You’d have to be pretty good to have notched up nearly 50 appearances as a teenager for one of France’s top sides, with Gusto having broken into Lyon’s first team last season and featuring in 30 of their 38 Ligue 1 games.

Lyon are no strangers to young superstars coming through their academy and Gusto made his first appearance for the club in 2021, aged 17.

Gusto became Lyon’s first choice right-back upon the arrival of Peter Bosz in the summer of 2021, replacing Leo Dubois in the line-up and becoming the youngest defender to make a Ligue 1 start for the club in August of the same year.

Dubois was sold in 2022, allowing Gusto to be Lyon’s undisputed starting right-back in the 2022/23 season, having been rotated in his minutes during his breakout season.

While Gusto is considered agile and capable in attack, having played as an advanced midfielder for the youth teams, Gusto has yet to score for Lyon and has five assists in just under 50 Ligue 1 appearances.

Renowned for his workrate and athleticism, Gusto has featured for France’s youth teams at every level since the under-16s stage, scoring once for the under-21s and even wearing the captain’s armband on occasion.

What clubs are interested in Gusto?

While Chelsea and Newcastle have been the latest teams to have been linked with a move for Gusto, ultimately most of Europe will have been tracking the youngster’s rise to stardom.

A teenager who has already played nearly two seasons in the top tier of France will have already attracted attention but Gusto is arguably the premier option in his position, with FootballTransfers valuing him higher than any other right-back under the age of 21.

Manchester United are also thought to be interested in Gusto, as are Juventus, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid, meaning the 19-year-old could be spoiled for choice when the time comes for a transfer.