Manchester United have now discovered exactly how much it will take to prise one of the rising young stars away from SC Freiburg.
According to journalist Florian Plettenberg, Freiburg are currently demanding up to €60 million (£51.2m) to offload their starlet Johan Manzambi.
The Swiss youngster has seen his reputation soar following a series of outstanding performances at the FIFA World Cup, attracting serious interest from several European heavyweights.
Despite playing only 200 minutes across four matches, Manzambi still managed to register an impressive three goals and two assists.
Newcastle United are also firmly in the race and have already familiarised themselves with every important financial detail surrounding a potential deal.
Expensive deal for Man United
Manzambi enjoyed a breakthrough 2025-26 campaign at Freiburg, finishing with an outstanding return of seven goals and six assists in 47 appearances.
The 20-year-old is an extremely versatile player, capable of operating almost anywhere across midfield or the forward line.
His instinctive finishing has been on full display at the World Cup, where he has thrived as a second striker for Switzerland.
He can also operate as a central midfielder and could be deployed on the wings due to his relentless running ability.
We still believe that spending more than £50m on Manzambi could prove to be a major gamble.
His passing accuracy was below 85% in the Bundesliga last campaign.
There are also legitimate concerns surrounding his defensive contribution, while his overall technical consistency still requires further development.
That said, Manzambi remains one of the brightest young talents in European football and could become a superb long-term investment if United can negotiate a considerably lower transfer fee.
Stats from Sofascore.com & Fotmob.com
