Aston Villa hijack Newcastle’s £49m move for Freiburg’s Johan Manzambi

Aston Villa are closing in on a deal worth around £49m for Freiburg midfielder Johan Manzambi, hijacking a move that Newcastle United believed had already been agreed. The 20-year-old Switzerland international has been one of the standout performers of the World Cup, and both clubs’ interest has been an open secret for weeks.

Newcastle had flown executives to Germany last week and understood personal terms had been informally agreed, though Manzambi did not want anything finalised until Switzerland’s World Cup campaign ended. That happened with Sunday’s defeat to Argentina, and with the midfielder sidelined by a minor knee injury, Villa moved decisively to steal a march on their Premier League rivals.

A World Cup star and a familiar face for Villa

Manzambi is not unknown to Unai Emery’s side. Villa beat Freiburg 3-0 in May’s Europa League final in Istanbul, a match in which Manzambi featured, and he made 47 appearances for the Bundesliga club last season, scoring seven goals and providing nine assists.

He has since become one of the breakout names of the World Cup, becoming the youngest player to register five goal involvements at a single tournament since 1966. The prospect of Champions League football with Villa next season, rather than a first campaign back among the Premier League’s mid-table with Newcastle, is understood to have been a significant factor in swaying his decision.

Villa’s midfield rebuild

The move would eclipse the £50m Villa paid Everton for Amadou Onana two years ago as a club-record fee, and comes at a pressing time for Emery’s midfield options. Onana suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during Belgium’s last-16 win over the USA and is expected to be sidelined until next year, while Youri Tielemans is closing in on a move to Manchester United.

Villa’s own finances remain tight as the club works to comply with UEFA’s financial regulations ahead of a return to the Champions League. Left-back Lucas Digne is understood to be close to rejoining Paris Saint-Germain, while forward Lewis Dobbin is set to join Southampton for around £9m, having never featured for Villa’s first team since his £10m arrival from Everton in 2024.

Another blow for Newcastle

For Newcastle, missing out on Manzambi would represent another setback in what has already been a difficult summer. The Magpies also lost out on a deal for Victor Munoz, who instead joined Liverpool, and have previously been linked with targets including Hugo Ekitike, Joao Pedro, Benjamin Sesko and James Trafford without success.

Eddie Howe’s side have also seen Anthony Gordon depart for Barcelona and Sandro Tonali join Tottenham this summer, while Bruno Guimarães is understood to have told the club’s hierarchy that he wishes to leave, with Arsenal reportedly his preferred destination. Losing a player of Manzambi’s calibre, having appeared to have the deal wrapped up, would compound the frustration on Tyneside.

Read more: Man Utd closing in on £36m deal for Aston Villa’s Youri Tielemans

Sources

• BBC Sport
• The Guardian

This is an independent report written from the facts across the sources named above.