Villa breaks transfer record for Swiss star
Aston Villa has clinched a club-record £59.5 million ($114.6 million) move for Johan Manzambi, having seen off interest from Newcastle United to sign Switzerland's 2026 FIFA World Cup breakout star.
Freiburg midfielder Manzambi shone for Switzerland, scoring three goals and assisting two as it reached the quarter-finals, where it lost 3-1 to Argentina after going down to 10 men.
Those five goal involvements are enough to rank the 20-year-old joint-eighth among all players at the tournament and the second-most by a Switzerland player at a single edition, after Josef Hugi scored six times in 1954.
He also played a starring role as Freiburg reached the final of the UEFA Europa League last season, eventually losing 3-0 to Villa in the showpiece match.
Manzambi was named young player of the tournament after scoring two goals and supplying two assists during Freiburg's European run.
Villa has not confirmed the length of Manzambi's contract or the fee it has paid, but it reportedly eclipses the £50 million ($96.3 million) it paid Everton for Amadou Onana in 2024.
He is Villa's second signing of this transfer window, after centre-back Modou Keba Cisse arrived from LASK.
In terms of outgoings, Youri Tielemans has joined Manchester United, while Lucas Digne and Emiliano Martinez are also expected to depart and Arsenal is reportedly considering a move for Morgan Rogers.
