The Premier League club are close to their first signing of the summer.
Villa are pushing to complete a club-record deal worth nearly £60million for Johan Manzambi after hijacking the Freiburg midfielder’s move to Newcastle.
The 20-year-old Switzerland international had looked destined to join the Magpies after they agreed a £49m deal with the German club.
But Manzambi himself was yet to give the green light and is instead now on course to join Villa after they intensified talks with Freiburg over the weekend.
Unai Emery has ordered a move into the market following the serious injury sustained by Amadou Onana at the World Cup.
The 24-year-old ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and is expected to miss most of the season.
Manzambi was always a player on Villa’s radar and the injury to Onana has increased their need for reinforcements in the middle of the park.
If the deal is completed, the final fee with add-ons will exceed the £50m Villa paid Everton to sign Onana two years ago.
Manzambi played for Freiburg against Villa in May’s Europa League final, at the end of the season in which he scored seven goals in 47 appearances.
He also impressed for Switzerland at the World Cup before missing their final two matches of the tournament with a minor knee injury.
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