‘Possibility Of A Hijack’ – Newcastle United Cautious Amid Aston Villa Tracking Target | OneFootball

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Newcastle United are closing in on Switzerland midfielder Johan Manzambi, but they are cautious of the deal getting hijacked, with Aston Villa among clubs tracking the midfielder.

Sandro Tonail’s departure has left a big hole in Newcastle’s midfield and with Bruno Guimaraes being linked with a move out of St. James’ Park, they are keen to strengthen the engine room.

The Magpies are focusing on recruiting young talented players this summer and have just signed 18-year-old promising midfielder Sean Steur from Dutch giants Ajax.

Freiburg midfielder Manzambi is also high on their list and it has been suggested that Steur’s arrival at St. James’ Park will not dissuade the Magpies from going after him.

The 20-year-old is very highly rated at Freiburg and last season he managed to net seven goals while laying on nine assists in all competitions.

It has been widely claimed that Newcastle have agreed to a deal with Freiburg which is in the region of €60m and they are finalising the final details.

However, although the Magpies have made significant progress in the deal, they do not have an agreement yet, with nothing finalised.

And it is suggested that Newcastle are cautious because of the risk of the deal being hijacked, with Aston Villa one side who have interest in Manzambi and a need to recruit in midfield.

Journalist Alex Crook wrote on X: “#NUFC are close to reaching a full agreement with Freiburg over €60m Johann Manzambi. [sic]

“However the Magpies must still finalise personal terms and are cautious over the possibility of a hijack.

The Villa Park outfit have intensified their efforts to land a midfielder after Amadou Onana suffered an ACL injury during Belgium’s round of 16 tie in the World Cup.

Udinese midfielder Arthur Atta is on Villa’s radar, but he is set to undergo a medical with Fiorentina.

That could well push Aston Villa forward in the Manzambi pursuit, though Unai Emery also has other irons in the fire beyond the Freiburg man and Newcastle will hope the Spaniard views those with more appeal.

Newcastle have already faced disappointment in their efforts to sign Atalanta’s highly rated midfielder Sergej Levak, who has signed a new contract with the club.

The path the Magpies are taking is though clear, with targets in their teens or early 20s, as the club try to identify and recruit potential early.

Last summer, Newcastle witnessed a host of their targets being hijacked by fellow Premier League clubs and they will be desperate not to repeat last season’s mistakes as they seek to get the Manzambi deal over the line.