Aston Villa have agreed a club-record deal to sign Johan Manzambi from SC Freiburg this summer, according to The Athletic.
The Villans have been rocked this summer after star midfielder Youri Tielemans joined Manchester United after his £35m release clause was triggered, while Lucas Digne is set to join Paris Saint-Germain after his £10m release clause was activated. They were also hit by major injury news, when Amadou Onana suffered a serious knee injury, and is now expected to miss the majority of the season.
But Unai Emery is looking to strengthen his squad ahead of the new campaign, and the club have now agreed a deal for their first signing of the window.
Aston Villa Agree Johan Manzambi Deal
Johan Manzambi celebrates with Swiss teammate Granit Xhaka
Johan Manzambi celebrates with Swiss teammate Granit Xhaka
Manzambi, who has been described as a 'phenom', was one of the breakout stars of the World Cup this summer, shining for Switzerland in the tournament as they reached the quarter-finals, which he missed through injury.
But the 20-year-old is now set to make the move to the Premier League after Villa agreed a deal worth in excess of £50m with his Bundesliga side, making him their most expensive player in history.
Manzambi is set to undergo a medical on Thursday before signing a long-term contract, with Unai Emery seeing him as a long-term replacement for Tielemans in the centre of midfield.
The previous club-record stood when the club signed Onana from Everton for a fee of £50m, but Manzambi will be more expensive after the club had to gazump Newcastle to get a deal agreed.
The Magpies were on the verge of a deal to sign the Switzerland star, but no personal terms had been agreed. That allowed Villa to swoop in and convince the player of a move to the Midlands, with a deal expected to be completed this week.
Fees correct prior to summer 2026
All 10 found — excellent!
Aston Villa Need More to Compete
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery looks on
With Villa pushing to be competitive in Europe and the Premier League once again, losing three key stars in a short space of time will have been a huge blow to Emery and his plans.
Bringing in Manzambi goes some way towards filling the gap in the side, but they will need a lot more if they want to reach the levels of last season again. With major question marks over the future of Morgan Rogers too, Emery will be nervous about what is happening in the market.
Villa have a great opportunity to build a squad and go again, but the board need to back Emery to do so, and it seems as though they are doing just that.
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