Aston Villa have signed Switzerland midfielder, Johan Manzambi from Freiburg for £51.2m.
Freiburg had initially agreed a transfer deal with Newcastle for Manzambi but the 20 year-old was reluctant to make the switch to St James’ Park, when Villa hijacked the deal with a £51.2m offer and personal terms which the youngster happily accepted.
Manzambi’s move also came after a successful World Cup saw him register three goals and two assists in four appearances, as Switzerland eventually lost to reigning champions – Argentina 3-1 after extra time in the Quarter-Finals.
Like at Freiburg, Manzambi will wear the number 44 shirt at Villa.
Born in Geneva, Switzerland, Manzambi began his career at Servette before he moved to Germany to join Freiburg, where he scored three goals in 20 appearances for Freiburg’s reserve team across 2023-24 & 24-25 seasons.
The latter season also saw him make his senior debut in a 3-0 Bundesliga defeat away at Heidenheim in the first of 11 first-team appearances that campaign, during which he scored his first senior goal against Borussia Monchengladbach in a 2-1 away win in April 2025.
He then scored again a month later in the league in a 2-1 victory at Holstein Kiel, before he went on to become a regular last season with seven goals and nine assists in all competitions in a campaign which saw Freiburg finish runner-up to Villa in the UEFA Europa League Final.
Manzambi represents Switzerland at international level, having graduated through the youth ranks to make his senior debut in a 4-2 friendly victory over Mexico in June 2025, and has gone on to score six goals in 16 total senior international appearances.
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