Newcastle United is preparing to open formal negotiations with Bundesliga side SC Freiburg over a deal for 20-year-old Swiss midfielder Johan Manzambi. The potential transfer, reportedly valued at up to €60M (roughly £42-51M), is already having a measurable effect on the player’s Sorare NFT card values.

The deal on the pitch

Manzambi, born October 14, 2005, burst into broader consciousness during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where his performances for Switzerland turned him from a promising Bundesliga talent into one of the most coveted young midfielders in European football. During the 2025-26 season, he logged 47 appearances with 16 goal involvements for Freiburg.

He debuted for Freiburg’s first team in August 2024 and scored his first goal the following April. By the time the 2025-26 campaign was in full swing, he’d cemented himself as a regular starter.

Newcastle is reportedly the frontrunner for his signature, with head coach Eddie Howe said to be optimistic about getting the deal across the line. As of early July 2026, internal discussions at the club are advanced, though formal club-to-club negotiations had not yet commenced. Freiburg’s €60M asking price reflects the premium added following his World Cup performances.

Where crypto enters the picture

Sorare, the fantasy football platform built on Ethereum that issues officially licensed digital player cards as NFTs, has seen Manzambi’s card values climb in direct correlation with his transfer buzz.

No specific crypto tokens are directly tied to this transfer. Newcastle does not currently operate a fan token on platforms like Socios, and Freiburg hasn’t ventured into that space either. So the Sorare angle remains the primary intersection between this deal and digital asset markets.

What this means for investors

The cautious read is that this remains a niche market. Sorare card values are driven by a relatively small pool of active traders, and liquidity can be thin for all but the most prominent players.

For now, the smart play is probably the boring one: watch whether the transfer actually materializes, monitor Sorare secondary market volumes around Manzambi’s cards, and pay attention to whether Newcastle’s potential Premier League campaign next season drives sustained demand or just a speculative spike.