Villa sign Newcastle target Manzambi in club-record deal

Aston Villa sign Johan Manzambi in £59.5m club-record deal after snubbing Newcastle; midfielder joins Villa Park from Freiburg after breakout World Cup with Switzerland; Newcastle had agreed a deal worth £49m for 20-year-old but Champions League football saw him choose Villa

>Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

>Aston Villa have beaten Newcastle to the signing of Johan Manzambi after completing a club-record £59.5m deal for the midfielder from Freiburg.

>Newcastle had agreed a deal worth £49m for the Switzerland international, who was a breakout star at the World Cup as he scored three goals in their run to the quarter-finals.

>However, Villa made a late bid for the 20-year-old to beat Eddie Howe's side to the signing.

>According to Sky in Germany, the total package for Manzambi is worth almost £59.5m (€70m) with add-ons included.

>This is a club-record transfer, surpassing the £50m Villa paid Everton for Amadou Onana in the summer of 2024.

>The biggest of smiles 😁 pic.twitter.com/CJOpfz8Pe2

>Manzambi had verbally agreed personal terms with Newcastle but was waiting until after Switzerland's World Cup was over before making a final call on his future.

>But the offer of Champions League football is said to have been a key motivator behind his decision to opt for Villa.

>Manzambi - who is primarily a central midfielder - enjoyed a breakout season for the Bundesliga club last season with seven goals and nine assists in 47 games in all competitions.

>He was also named Europa League Young Player of the Season for his role in helping Freiburg to the final last season, where Aston Villa beat them 3-0 in Istanbul.

>In a World Cup dominated by the biggest names, Johan Manzambi has been the exception to the rule. With more goals than starts for Switzerland, he has been a breakout star, earning his big move after one full season as a starter at Freiburg.

>The 20-year-old talent rejected an offer from Newcastle United to sign for Aston Villa, Freiburg's conquerors in the Europa League final in May. A price of £49m reflects Manzambi's rapid rise, although his summer could have been even more spectacular.

>After his man-of-the-match display against Bosnia-Herzegovina - scoring twice after coming on in the 71st minute - he scored and assisted against Canada. But he missed the quarter-final defeat to Argentina with a minor injury to leave a country wondering.

>Could he have driven them on against ageing opposition in extra-time? Would Switzerland have even needed extra-time with Manzambi around? "We missed him massively," Bruno Berner tells Sky Sports. "He would have given us something different."

>Read here for Adam Bate's feature on Manzambi in full.

>Play Super 6 for a chance to win £250k! Enter for free.