Aston Villa are close to signing Freiburg midfielder Johan Manzambi for £49m after stepping in ahead of Newcastle, who had believed they were on the verge of agreeing a deal. The move matters because it strengthens Villa after their Champions League qualification while dealing Newcastle another setback in a difficult transfer window, especially as the club also face uncertainty over Bruno Guimarães’s future.

Newcastle had held talks after travelling to Germany and were told Manzambi was satisfied with the personal terms, but he wanted to wait until Switzerland’s World Cup exit before formalising anything. Once Switzerland were knocked out by Argentina, Villa moved quickly for the 20-year-old, who had seven goals and nine assists in 47 Freiburg appearances last season and had seen Villa up close in the Europa League final in May. The report adds that Newcastle have already lost Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and target Víctor Muñoz this summer, have spent about £80m on three players aged 20 or under, and remain keen to keep Guimarães despite his reported wish to join Arsenal.