Aston Villa are reportedly closing in on Johan Manzambi after the Freiburg midfielder chose a move to Villa Park over Newcastle United.
TalkSPORT reports that Villa are finalising an agreement for the 20-year-old despite Newcastle previously agreeing a €60m fee with Freiburg.
Newcastle had led the race and feared another Premier League club could hijack the transfer. Manzambi was reportedly unconvinced by the move to St James’ Park, opening the door for Villa to accelerate their interest.
The Switzerland international has now indicated that Aston Villa is his preferred destination. Negotiations with Freiburg were described as almost complete on Sunday evening.
Onana injury forced Villa to act
Villa stepped up their pursuit after Amadou Onana suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during Belgium’s World Cup campaign.
The setback is expected to keep the midfielder out for a significant period and has forced Unai Emery to reassess his options.
ReadAstonVilla previously explained how Onana’s ACL injury forced a major rethink of Villa’s transfer plans.
Manzambi would bring energy, strength and ball-carrying ability to Emery’s midfield. He also impressed during Switzerland’s World Cup run after a breakthrough season in Germany.
The talkSPORT report claims Newcastle agreed a fee worth around £51.2m before Villa moved ahead in the race.
No official announcement has been made, but the latest update suggests Villa are now in a strong position to complete one of the biggest deals of their summer.
Securing Manzambi would also show how quickly Villa have responded to the serious gap created by Onana’s injury.
