Newcastle lead Man United in £51m pursuit of World Cup midfielder Johan Manzambi

Newcastle United hold an advantage over Manchester United in the race to sign Freiburg midfielder Johan Manzambi, with the Swiss international valued at £51m following an impressive World Cup campaign.

The 20-year-old scored three goals and added two assists in the United States, capping a 2025/26 club season in which he contributed to 16 goals across all competitions. Freiburg have set their asking price at £51m, according to Sky Sports Germany, and are looking to capitalise on his elevated profile.

According to the Daily Mail, Newcastle are leading the chase, with the financial aspects of a deal — both the player’s wages and the transfer fee — not considered problematic. Should the Magpies formalise their interest, they would be strong favourites to land him.

The pursuit is driven in part by necessity. Newcastle sold Sandro Tonali to Tottenham for £100m this summer, and while Manzambi operated in a more advanced role at the World Cup, he featured 25 times in midfield for Freiburg and is seen as a credible successor.

Manchester United are also monitoring the situation, having maintained a long-standing interest in the player, though their immediate transfer priority is reported to be Alex Scott. United had previously been in contention for Tonali before concluding that the fee and wage demands were too steep — a moot point, as Tonali made clear upon joining Spurs that there was only ever one destination in his mind.

“I’m very happy to be here,” Tonali said after completing his move to Tottenham. “People said about there being four or five clubs — there was only one. I spoke to the head coach for close to two hours about the club, the fans, the stadium and our football. It was like magic because I knew immediately that I had to sign for Tottenham.”

United do appear close to securing Atalanta midfielder Ederson, a deal that was progressing before the World Cup but was delayed when he received a late call-up to the Brazil squad, pushing back the second stage of his medical.

The club have also missed out on several other midfield targets this window. Elliot Anderson joined Manchester City from Nottingham Forest for £116m, while Mateus Fernandes chose Tottenham over United, with West Ham receiving £85m for his departure.