Manchester City are on the verge of appointing Enzo Maresca as manager after reaching a compensation agreement with Chelsea understood to be well in excess of £10m — and the former Chelsea boss is already planning a reunion with full-back Malo Gusto.
The 46-year-old Italian, who left Chelsea in January, has been identified as the only candidate to succeed Pep Guardiola after the Catalan ended his decade of dominance last month. Sources told BBC Sport a three-year deal is close to being finalised, though City declined to comment when contacted.
“Manchester City close to appointing Enzo Maresca after £10m+ compensation deal; Malo Gusto agrees reunion.”
With Maresca not yet officially in place, City are already active in the transfer market. A £116m deal for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson is close to completion after two bids were rejected, and the club is expected to make another offer. But the most eye-catching move is for Gusto, who is said to have provisionally agreed to join City and play under Maresca once again.
According to Foot Mercato, Maresca is keen to make the 23-year-old a key part of his new project. Chelsea, however, are in a strong bargaining position with Gusto under contract until 2030 and have valued him at around £75m — significantly more than the £31m they paid Lyon. The Blues are close to signing Marco Palestra but are not thought to be especially looking to sell.
City's pre-season begins in mid-July for non-World Cup players, and the delay in appointing Maresca has left some players in limbo over their futures. As Freddie Pye of City Xtra told BBC Sport: 'Perhaps Maresca and City have not lost out on anything via a delayed announcement... This is a winning project for players, irrespective of the head coach.'
But the futures of others may be different: 'Some may view the departure of Guardiola as the end of a career segment themselves, giving them little reason to remain.' For now, Maresca's project is taking shape, with Anderson close and Gusto lined up — a statement of intent before he has even signed.