Aston Villa have hijacked Newcastle United’s move for Freiberg and Switzerland midfielder Johan Manzambi.
Newcastle United have missed out on the signing of Freiberg and Switzerland midfielder Johan Manzambi to Premier League rivals Aston Villa.
The Magpies verbally agreed a £49million deal with Freiberg and hoped to finalise the move this week following Switzerland’s exit from the World Cup on Sunday.
However, the 20-year-old has opted for a move to Villa Park. It is the second time Eddie Howe’s side have had a deal hijacked this summer after Spanish winger Victor Munoz joined Liverpool.
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Johan Manzambi issues statement after World Cup exit
Manzambi has been on the radar of several clubs following an excellent World Cup where he scored three goals, including a brace against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and provided two assists to help Switzerland through to the last 16 before missing matches against Colombia and Argentina with a knee injury.
Switzerland edged past Colombia on penalties but couldn’t find a way past Argentina without Manzambi, losing 3-1 in extra time.
Following the end of his and Switzerland’s World Cup campaign, Manzambi took to social media to thank fans, as well as reveal his disappointment at having his tournament cut short because of injury.
The message was posted just hours after news broke about his move to Aston Villa.
“I want to thank everyone who supported us throughout this journey. Thank you to all of Switzerland for believing in us,” Manzambi wrote on Instagram. “We would have loved to go even further in this World Cup, but football had other plans.
“I am disappointed not to have been able to keep helping the team on the pitch due to this injury, but that’s part of the sport. We will come back stronger. Thank you for your support. ❤️🥭”
Newcastle United move on to other targets
Newcastle are already looking at other midfield targets as they look to bolster their engine room following the £100million sale of Sandro Tonali to Tottenham Hotspur.
United announced the arrival of 18-year-old midfielder Sean Steur from Dutch giants Ajax last week, while they have also signed a goalkeeper and midfielder in Ewen Jaouen and Bazoumana Toure.
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