Blues distance themselves from Chelsea full-back
Manchester City have moved to distance themselves from reported interest in Chelsea right-back Malo Gusto, according to BBC Sport's Shamoon Hafez.
The club enter the summer without a recognised specialist in the position following Kyle Walker's permanent departure to Burnley last summer. Matheus Nunes, a natural midfielder, largely filled the role under Pep Guardiola across the 2025-26 campaign.
Director of football Hugo Viana is overseeing a wide-ranging rebuild ahead of Enzo Maresca's first season in charge, and the right-back position is one of several areas under active review. City have monitored the market across two consecutive windows without making a move, but the internal consensus has now shifted.
Sources at the club have distanced City from a move for Gusto, despite the 23-year-old having been linked in recent weeks. A deal for Newcastle's Valentino Livramento, previously mentioned as a target, has also been ruled out, with the Magpies understood to be unwilling to sell.
Hafez's report stops short of suggesting City have abandoned their pursuit altogether. A new signing in the position remains a possibility this summer as part of Viana's squad remake. But with two of the most widely discussed names now firmly out of the picture, the identity of City's preferred target is unclear.
Nunes impressed beyond expectations as a converted right-back, but his long-term future in that makeshift role under Maresca's system remains to be seen. Viana's preference across his dealings so far has been for players offering positional versatility alongside a clear technical profile. Whoever City identify 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 remains to be seen. The search is still live, even if two of the more obvious names are no longer in the running.