Johan Manzambi has gone from looking close to Newcastle to looking open again, with Aston Villa now pushing hard at the final stage. Newcastle had agreed terms with SC Freiburg, but Manzambi still had not given the green light to move. Villa's Champions League pitch, plus the injury to Amadou Onana, has changed the balance.

Newcastle still wait for the player

Fabrizio Romano said Villa were “among clubs attentive” to Manzambi's situation, while Newcastle were “waiting on player's green light to proceed”. That is the key wrinkle here. One side had the club deal in place, but the move was not done because the player had not signed off.

Chronicle Live added another layer, saying Newcastle had positive talks with Manzambi last week and even reached a verbal agreement on wages and the deal with Freiburg, but he would not commit on paper. That leaves the deal in a familiar holding pattern for Newcastle, and it is not the first time they have been left exposed at the final step.

Villa's late push looks stronger now

Florian Plettenberg reported that Villa were “seriously trying to hijack the imminent #NUFC deal”, with fresh contact and an “XXL offer” to the player and Freiburg after Onana's knee ligament injury at the 2026 World Cup for Belgium. Goal also reported that Manzambi wanted to wait until Switzerland were eliminated from the World Cup before deciding his future.

The timing matters for Villa. They finished fourth in the Premier League and won 7 of 8 Europa League matches, which gives them the cleaner pitch to a player weighing elite-level football and immediate minutes. Manzambi's own World Cup return was strong too, with 3 goals and 2 assists in 4 appearances and a 7.61 average rating. He is not being chased like a project signing.

Newcastle, by contrast, finished 12th in the Premier League. They can make the case on development and opportunity, but Villa's Champions League status and their sharper recent pull are what have moved this race. Decision soon is the phrase attached to it now, and Villa look closer to winning that one.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 5 outlets. How we work →