Bundesliga side Freiburg is holding on to its prized midfielder, aiming to stage a 2026 World Cup showcase to inflate his price tag for PSG.
Although Johan Manzambi is among PSG's targets, the transfer will not be finalized immediately. Before accepting his transfer this summer, Freiburg is waiting to see its midfielder shine with Switzerland during the 2026 World Cup.
Head coach Luis Enrique has already set the tone. Criticized for his refusal to expand the squad, the Paris Saint-Germain coach stands by his choice and predicts a similar transfer window.
"We won the competitions thanks to these players, they trained well, they were good, they had a good state of mind. It would have been ridiculous to sign many players," the Spaniard said this week.
"It will be the same thing next year." If his coach is to be believed, the French capital club will be rather discreet this summer. But that is not the trend emerging over the past several weeks.
On the contrary, recent reports suggest that Paris Saint-Germain will be very active. The European champion is mentioned on numerous tracks that lead mainly to promising youngsters.
Faithful to its recruitment policy, the current Ligue 1 leader is interested, for example, in Malian Aboubacar Maiga (16, Africa Football Academy), AZ Alkmaar midfielder Kees Smit (20), or Johan Manzambi (20), a case perhaps more complicated than the others.
To begin with, Paris Saint-Germain competes with most European powerhouses (Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Manchester United, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Napoli).
It will be necessary not only to present better arguments than those of all these clubs, but also to convince Freiburg, whose demands can vary.
The Bundesliga club hopes that the Swiss international will shine this summer. Thus, instead of the announced €35 million, the idea would be to sell his four-year contract for €60 million. Freiburg's record would be shattered since its biggest sale, namely the transfer of Kevin Schade to Brentford in 2023, brought in €30 million.
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