Newcastle United are making slow progress in negotiations with Freiburg for midfielder Johan Manzambi, according to the Daily Mail reporter Craig Hope.
The journalist is among the most reliable when it comes to insider information on the Magpies, and he claims that there is a “danger” that others could join the race for the Switzerland international if talks don’t begin to pick up pace.
While Eddie Howe’s side are very much “front of the queue” at the moment, it was similarly the case with Victor Munoz before Liverpool gazumped them.
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For Manzambi, it is believed that Manchester United pose the greatest threat to the transfer going ahead, having held a “longstanding interest”, but it should be pointed out that Chelsea and Arsenal have been linked with the 20-year-old in the past too.
What is delaying the deal for Manzambi?
There are a couple of potential pitfalls in this transfer. Firstly, at the time of writing, Switzerland are still at the World Cup. They do face Colombia in the last 16 on Tuesday evening, so they could soon be on their way home.
However, unless his country is knocked out, the prospects of a move being finalised for Manzambi in the short term are pretty low.
The second factor is money. Sky Sports Germany have revealed that Freiburg are now demanding upwards of €60m (£51m), which is more than Newcastle were expecting to pay.
Are Newcastle looking at alternatives?
Monaco’s Lamine Camara has been mentioned as a target, but Hope says that any approach for the Senegalese international is deemed “unlikely”.
Camara is classed as a potential replacement for Bruno Guimaraes, and despite interest from Arsenal, the club has no intention of selling their captain this summer.
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