SC Freiburg agrees on €60 million transfer of Johan Manzambi to Newcastle United

From Geneva's youth setup to the Dreisam

At the Sportklub, whose squad comprises 30 players and who was most recently coached in the Bundesliga by Julian Schuster, a departure of the Romand had been indicated for months according to Sky information. SC Freiburg initially did not wish to officially confirm the transfer upon request, but pointed to the player's existing contract; the final confirmation is expected after Switzerland's quarter-final match at the World Cup on Sunday (3.00 am CEST, MagentaTV) against defending champions Argentina.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano wrote on social media that Newcastle would pay the Bundesliga club «rund 60 Millionen Euro» for the Swiss. As Sky reports, the football Bundesliga club and Newcastle United have reached a «vollständige Einigung» on the transfer. Manzambi would thus become, after Bazoumana Touré, the second player within a year that Newcastle signs from the German top flight; Touré is said to be joining Newcastle for a base fee of 47 million euros.

Newcastle expands Bundesliga pipeline

Newcastle United, whose team is currently managed by coach Eddie Howe and has a total market value of 285.55 million euros, is thus continuing to deliberately expand its squad with talents from the Bundesliga. The club had most recently signed the former Hoffenheim player Joelinton, among others, who arrived in 2019 for 43.5 million euros; with the new projections, Manzambi would rank fifth among the most expensive new signings and thus two places ahead of Touré.

Swiss World Cup as a stage

Manzambi is currently playing in the World Cup with Switzerland and has already scored three goals and assisted on two more in the ongoing tournament. In the round of 16 against Colombia, which the Swiss won 4:3 on penalties, he was one of the most prominent performers. On Sunday, Switzerland, who are in a World Cup quarter-final for the first time since 1954, will face defending champions Argentina.

After Bazoumana Touré of TSG Hoffenheim, Manzambi would thus be the second 20-year-old within a year that Newcastle takes from the Bundesliga. On the list of the most expensive Bundesliga transfers to the Premier League to date, he would rank second behind the freshly signed Nick Woltemade from VfB Stuttgart. Woltemade, who is also being traded for a double-digit million euro fee, would accordingly be the only more expensive German export of the recent transfer period.

Xhaka record cast in shadow

Within Switzerland, Manzambi would significantly surpass the previous record transfer of Granit Xhaka with the upcoming move. Xhaka moved from Borussia Mönchengladbach to FC Arsenal in 2016 for 45 million euros. Depending on how the clauses are structured, the current package for the Freiburg midfielder, including the bonus payments, could even surpass the Xhaka mark.

Aston Villa as competing bidder

Manzambi had been a heavily pursued player on the market since the spring. Alongside Newcastle, Aston Villa is also said to have courted the Swiss intensively; the club from Birmingham was looking to strengthen central midfield after the cruciate ligament injury of the Belgian Amadou Onana. In the end, as the reports describe it, Newcastle prevailed with the higher package of base fee and bonus payments.

At SC Freiburg, it is internally expected that the club will reinvest the proceeds from the Manzambi deal into new players. The Breisgau club, which has attracted attention in recent years with consistent youth work and a clear scouting concept, had most recently repeatedly developed players who later commanded high transfer fees. Rouven Tarnutzer was the last named signing as part of the ongoing squad planning.

Should the move go through as reported, Manzambi would be, after Schade (Brentford, 2023) and Röhl (Everton), the third Freiburg player within a few years to make the way to the Premier League for a significantly elevated fee. For the club, each of these transfers represents a record; for the Bundesliga, the deal means that the English top flight, after Touré and Woltemade, continues to rely on the German top flight as an important source in the current summer window.

In the coming days, the focus is likely to be on the medical examination at Newcastle United. Since Manzambi is still in action with Switzerland at the World Cup in the USA, it is considered likely that the medical check will take place immediately after the quarter-final against Argentina. If the agreement is confirmed, the transfer would only be officially completed after the end of the tournament in the USA.

Fabrizio Romano also pointed out that Newcastle has already put together several multi-million euro packages in the current summer window. The Sportklub, for its part, will have to look at the transfer market after the foreseeable departure of its midfielder. Names of potential successors have not been officially named so far, not least because the Freiburg officials did not wish to confirm the transfer for the time being.

What is already certain now: with the 60-million-euro package, Manzambi is by far the most valuable sale in SC Freiburg's history. For Newcastle United as well, measured against the club's total market value of 285.55 million euros, it would be a substantial transfer. Final confirmation is expected in the coming days.