Aston Villa are on the verge of completing a dramatic transfer coup, overtaking Newcastle United in the race to sign SC Freiburg’s breakout midfield star, Johan Manzambi. Eddie Howe and Unai Emery are at St James’ Park and Villa Park, respectively. The Birmingham club have accelerated talks over the last couple of hours, capitalising on a delay that left their Tyneside counterparts exposed to a late hijack.
The transfer saga seemed settled earlier this week when Newcastle reached a full agreement with Freiburg for a €60 million deal, intended to make the ‘special’ 20-year-old Swiss international Eddie Howe’s marquee midfield signing. However, despite agreeing terms with the Bundesliga club, Newcastle were yet to get Manzambi’s approval
Manzambi declined to green-light the move to the North East, opting to hold off on signing while considering other top offers. Sensing an opportunity, Aston launched a last-minute bid, and Manzambi has made it clear he prefers a switch to Villa Park over Tyneside.
Villa’s interest in Manzambi is driven by a tactical need to address a midfield injury crisis. The Midlands club have been searching for reinforcements since Amadou Onana suffered a serious ACL injury during the latter stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Manzambi, who enjoyed a breakout campaign in North America with five goal involvements before sustaining a minor knee injury, fits the dynamic, box-to-box profile Emery needs to maintain his high-intensity system.
With Manzambi’s preference now clear, negotiations between Villa and Freiburg are progressing rapidly towards a conclusion. For Newcastle, missing out on a priority target due to the lack of player approval highlights yet another painful shortcoming in their transfer strategy after they missed out on Victor Munoz earlier in the window.