Newcastle United look set to miss out on yet another transfer target after Aston Villa emerged as the preferred destination for Freiburg midfielder Johan Manzambi, who starred for Switzerland at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Both clubs agreed to a £49m fee with Freiburg for the 20-year-old, but Manzambi's preference is understood to be Villa — with the offer of UEFA Champions League football proving the decisive factor in his thinking.

The Switzerland international had verbally agreed personal terms with Newcastle but chose to delay a final decision until after his nation's World Cup campaign concluded. Switzerland were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Argentina, losing 3-1 after extra time.

The 10th player to choose elsewhere

Should the move to Villa be confirmed, Manzambi would become the tenth player Newcastle have missed out on since the summer of 2024 — nine of whom ended up at Premier League rivals.

Earlier this summer, Newcastle believed they had secured Spain winger Victor Munoz from Osasuna for £29m plus £4.3m in add-ons, with personal terms agreed, before Liverpool stepped in and took him.

Last summer proved equally frustrating. Eintracht Frankfurt rejected Newcastle's club-record £70m offer for striker Hugo Ekitike — a player they had tracked since 2022 — before Liverpool agreed a deal worth £79m for him. Newcastle then pursued Benjamin Sesko, submitting a second bid of £69.7m plus add-ons, only for Manchester United to agree a lower fee with the player nonetheless preferring a move to Old Trafford.

Joao Pedro was another who slipped away. Newcastle's bid of around £50m was rejected by Brighton before Chelsea made him their top target and signed him for £60m ahead of the Club World Cup. Bryan Mbeumo, meanwhile, attracted interest from Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur last summer, but ultimately joined Sesko at United in a £71m deal.

Dean Huijsen, who had impressed on loan at Bournemouth, was also on Newcastle's radar — but Real Madrid moved swiftly to trigger his £50m release clause. Liam Delap was another target lost to Chelsea, who paid his £30m release clause after Ipswich Town's relegation from the Premier League.

Goalkeeper James Trafford looked set to arrive at St. James' Park after a £31m fee was agreed with Burnley, but Manchester City activated a matching clause they had retained when selling Trafford to Burnley in 2023. Trafford chose a move to Pep Guardiola's City, where he started as first choice before losing his place to Gianluigi Donnarumma.

The frustration stretches back further still. Newcastle made three bids exceeding £50m for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi in the summer of 2024, but Palace held firm at £65m. A £35m deal to Liverpool fell through on the final day of the 2025 transfer window, and Guehi eventually left for Manchester City six months later for an initial £20m.