The Johan Manzambi deal is well and truly off. Newcastle United had agreed a deal with SC Freiburg, believed to be in the region of €60 million, to sign the Swiss World Cup standout.
Unfortunately for the Magpies, Manzambi himself was not convinced about it. Instead, he seems to prefer a move to Aston Villa and that is exactly what seems to be in his future.
On the other hand, Newcastle United have been left in a tough position. They need to strengthen their options in midfield but their top target is clearly headed elsewhere.
So, the Magpies need to alter course. Fortunately, it always seemed like the club were not completely convinced that Manzambi would end up at St James’ Park. So, they have alternative options picked out already. And it looks like they are closing in on a move for one of them.
Newcastle United in advanced talks to sign 25-year-old midfielder
According to a report from Canal do Anderson Motta (via Fogaonet), Botafogo are in advanced talks with Newcastle United over the transfer of Danilo. They are now awaiting a formal offer in the coming days.
It is believed that the figures that have been presented by Newcastle United are close to what Botafogo want. So, the expectation is that a deal will be finalised soon with Danilo heading back to Europe.
Danilo already has experience of playing in the Premier League. He was on the books at Nottingham Forest for a few years before heading back to Brazil to join Botafogo.
He has been a standout there. Danilo was good enough to make Brazil’s World Cup squad and appear in four games at the tournament. And now, a return to the Premier League seems to be on the horizon.
Would Danilo be the right signing for Newcastle?
The best way to judge this move for Danilo would be to take into consideration the stats he put up while at Nottingham Forest. It was in the 23/24 campaign that he started 20 games for them.
Now, to be fair, he was average at most things when it came to the data. But there are certain aspects where Danilo did stand out and showed traits of someone who could develop into a top midfielder.
Per 90 minutes, he was in the 95th percentile for interceptions. He also completed more than 65% of his dribbles and 60% of his aerial duels.
So, that paints the picture of a midfielder who can recover the ball in the middle of the park, not allow the opposition to dominate aerially and also carry it up the pitch with his dribbling.
