Aston Villa complete signing of Johan Manzambi from Freiburg

Aston Villa have announced the signing of Johan Manzambi from Freiburg.

The Athletic reported on Sunday that Villa were in the process of finalising the move and he now moves to Villa Park on a long-term deal.

Newcastle United had reached an agreement in principle with Freiburg to sign Manzambi, though the midfielder had yet to decide on his preferred destination, allowing Villa to step up their interest. Villa’s pursuit of a midfielder had been accelerated after Amadou Onana suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear while playing for Belgium at the World Cup.

Manzambi’s arrival also follows Youri Tielemans’ exit for Manchester United which was confirmed earlier this week.

“I’m very excited to be here and to be training with Unai Emery and the team,” Manzambi said. “I am very, very happy and I am excited to play with this club.

It’s official 🤩

Aston Villa is delighted to announce the signing of Johan Manzambi 🇨🇭 pic.twitter.com/5s2U39k0oQ

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) July 17, 2026

“It’s a very big club in England and they’re playing in the Champions League. I’ve already played against Aston Villa, and for me, it was the perfect plan.”

Manzambi appeared in Switzerland’s first four World Cup games, recording three goals and two assists, though he missed the last 16 penalty shootout victory over Colombia and the 3-1 quarter-final defeat against Argentina.

The 20-year-old joined Freiburg in 2024 after playing in the academy of Swiss club Servette.

He made his first team debut in September of that year and went on to make 58 appearances for the club, scoring nine goals and providing 11 assists.