Arsenal open talks to sign Declan Rice 2.0 for €50m

Tom Weber

• Updated: 11 Mar 2026 11:46 GMT
• 5 min read

Analysis

Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United are pursuing a deal for SC Freiburg midfielder Johan Manzambi.

The Switzerland international has enjoyed a remarkable season. Manzambi has been one of the breakout stars in the Bundesliga this term, coming seemingly out of nowhere to establish himself as a new face in a usually very settled team.

Freiburg are not known for making wholesale changes to their team, but their midfield looks unrecognisable compared to previous seasons, courtesy of the emergence of Manzambi and the signing of the very promising Yuito Suzuki.

Current ETV

Johan Manzambi

M, DM (C)

SC Freiburg

Johan Manzambi

M, DM (C)

SC Freiburg

€23.4M

ETV Range

€21.1M - €25.8M

View full profile

Manzambi already showed promise when given first-team opportunities last season, but few could have expected him to explode as he has done over the past seven or eight months, though it must be said that his performance levels have dropped a little bit recently.

This is understandable for a 20-year-old playing his first full season of top-flight football for a team that competes in Europe while also being a senior international. All told, the dynamic box-to-box midfielder has scored four goals and provided five assists.

Manzambi wanted by Premier League clubs

Previously, FootballTransfers explained that Manzambi could be a good option for Man Utd if Kobbie Mainoo were to depart. Well, TEAMtalk now reports that Man Utd are among the clubs interested despite the expectation that Mainoo is staying.

Additionally, Arsenal and Chelsea are keeping close tabs on Manzambi's development. In fact, the Gunners are said to have already held exploratory talks over a potential summer move.

Freiburg value Manzambi at around €50 million. This is a significant premium on his current Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €23.4 million, but it reflects his huge potential. The Swiss midfielder is contracted to the German club until 2030.

The fact that Premier League clubs are chasing his signature is entirely unsurprising. Data from analytics firm SciSports illustrates quite clearly how spectacular Manzambi has been this term.

In terms of his overall performance on a per 90 basis, Manzambi is only bettered by RB Leipzig prospect Assan Ouedrago among Bundesliga midfielders. It is important to note, however, that Ouedraogo has played just over 600 minutes, so the sample size is small.

Remarkably, if we apply SciSports' default statistical template for central midfielders, Manzambi profiles like a reincarnation of Arsenal superstar Declan Rice. If we change the categories to make the distinction between midfield styles clearer, we get a more nuanced picture.

Manzambi is much more of a dribbler than Rice, who outperforms the Freiburg star in passing. This matches the eye test. Manzambi loves to take players on and drive into the opposition box. He takes more risks than Rice, but this is, of course, also influenced by Arsenal's style of play.

What the data illustrates, though, is that Manzambi is a hugely exciting midfield prospect. His rise to prominence is also reflected in his SciSkill rating, which is calculated by analysing hundreds of in-game data points. Over the past six months, Manzambi has seen his SciSkill rating boosted by 23.8 points.

This is the fourth-highest increase among Bundesliga players, putting him only behind wonderkids Lennart Karl and Yan Diomande as well as striker Younes Ebnoutalib, who enjoyed a spectacular first half of the season in the 2. Bundesliga and earned a January move to Eintracht Frankfurt.

Taking all of the above into consideration, it is fair to say that it would be no surprise if Manzambi were to end up in the Premier League this summer.

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