Noah Atubolu to Aston Villa from SC Freiburg
Verdict Delivered
This rumor DIED. It was dropped from the board after going quiet, last rated 2%.
| Move | SC Freiburg → Villa |
| Outcome | Never happened |
| Rated at the end | 2% |
| Resolved | August 19th |
Atubolu's representatives have travelled to Italy for direct talks with Napoli and Juventus, La Gazzetta dello Sport reported on August 5th, with Napoli described as strongly interested. The Premier League had been his priority, but the only offers to arrive from England came from newly promoted Hull City and Coventry City, and the goalkeeper's camp has redirected the search to Serie A. Marseille remain in the running. Freiburg have now put a price of EUR 15m on him, well down on the EUR 25m to EUR 30m they held out for through July, and his contract runs out next summer. Villa were among the clubs following him most closely alongside Bournemouth in late July and were reported to be readying an offer of around EUR 25m to EUR 30m, but no Villa bid was ever lodged and Villa are not named anywhere in the current reporting. The link always rested on Martinez leaving, and that has gone the other way: Juventus ended their pursuit, and his agent says he never asked to go.
This page is kept as part of our public track record — every rumor's final outcome stays published against the likelihood we gave it.
How the Story Moved
| Date | What changed | |
|---|---|---|
| July 16th | Tracked | Rumor opened on the board at 26% (contact) — source: Sky Sport Deutschland / The Hard Tackle. Sky Sport Deutschland reports Villa interest in the 24-year-old Germany goalkeeper, with Freiburg sporting director Jochen Saier confirming Atubolu has been granted permission to leave this summer ahead of his 2027 contract expiry. The Europa League finalist has been training apart from the first team during the standoff and would reunite with incoming teammate Johan Manzambi at Villa Park; Bournemouth and Liverpool are also credited with interest. No concrete offer has yet been tabled. The link gains weight from the uncertainty around Emiliano Martínez, courted by Juventus. |
| August 5th | Moved | Likelihood fell from 26% to 7% (cooling). Atubolu's representatives have travelled to Italy for direct talks with Napoli and Juventus, La Gazzetta dello Sport reported on August 5th, with Napoli described as strongly interested. The Premier League had been his priority, but the only offers to arrive from England came from newly promoted Hull City and Coventry City, and the goalkeeper's camp has redirected the search to Serie A. Marseille remain in the running. Freiburg have now put a price of EUR 15m on him, well down on the EUR 25m to EUR 30m they held out for through July, and his contract runs out next summer. Villa were among the clubs following him most closely alongside Bournemouth in late July and were reported to be readying an offer of around EUR 25m to EUR 30m, but no Villa bid was ever lodged and Villa are not named anywhere in the current reporting. The link always rested on Martinez leaving, and that has gone the other way: Juventus ended their pursuit, and his agent says he never asked to go. |
| August 19th | Verdict | Rumor died — dropped from the board at 7% |
Timeline reflects our tracking history since the rumor joined the board, not every media mention. For everything Villa, live: the Verdict homepage.