Johan Manzambi was among Newcastle United and Aston Villa’s top targets. It meant a tussle of some sort was long foreseen. Led by their scouting and data departments, Villa were impressed by Manzambi and closely tracked him throughout last season — long before meeting him in the Europa League final against Freiburg in May, or his sparkling performances with Switzerland at the World Cup.Despite the ongoing skirmishes with financial regulations, Villa were willing to pay a sizeable fee for the 20-year-old midfielder. Manzambi’s arrival has the fingerprints of sporting director Roberto Olabe, who tasked his scouting and data departments with conducting a deep, exhaustive process.His signing, it was felt, would symbolise a change in Villa’s recruitment. They want to reduce the average age of the squad — the second oldest in the Premier League last season — and inject dynamism and athleticism into a team that had been together for a long time.In the end, Villa won the race, striking a club-record fee of over £50million, breaking the mark set by Amadou Onana’s move in July 2024. Freiburg sources say the fee is in the region of €70m (£59m; $80m), while Villa say it is slightly less. Here, informed by conversations with various sources involved in the deal (they all asked to speak anonymously to protect relationships), The Athletic explains the story behind a fight for one of this summer’s most coveted players.