Aston Villa breaks club record with $70 million move for Johan Manzambi
Johan Manzambi – Aston Villa player (photo: avfc.co.uk)
Birmingham-based Aston Villa has officially announced the signing of rising European soccer star Johan Manzambi. The 20-year-old Swiss midfielder is leaving German club Freiburg to move to Villa Park, according to the English club's official website.
How Villa beat a rival to the deal
The transfer has become an outright record in the history of the Birmingham club. The Villans paid around €70 million (just over £50 million) for the talented midfielder. The previous club record had stood for two years, dating back to the £50 million signing of Amadou Onana.
The most interesting part is that the Swiss talent was just one step away from joining Newcastle. The Magpies had already fully agreed to a €60 million transfer with Freiburg, and the player only needed to sign his personal contract. However, Aston Villa's management made a swift intervention and improved its financial offer, convincing the Swiss midfielder to change his mind and join Unai Emery's team instead.
For Newcastle, this is already the club's second similar setback of the summer. Earlier, the club also lost former Real Madrid forward Victor Muñoz in a similar fashion, with Liverpool swooping in to sign him.
A standout World Cup performance
It is worth noting that Manzambi faced Aston Villa in the Europa League final in May, where the English side won 3-0. Despite Freiburg's defeat, the midfielder was named the tournament's best young player. Overall, he recorded seven goals and nine assists in 47 appearances for Freiburg last season.
His price tag rose significantly after the 2026 World Cup. In four appearances for Switzerland, Manzambi scored three goals and provided two assists, emerging as one of the tournament's biggest breakout stars. He helped his national team reach the quarterfinals, where Switzerland eventually lost 3-1 to Argentina after extra time.
Earlier, Girona made a tough decision regarding the future of Ukrainian striker Vladyslav Vanat.
