Aleksandar Manushev will continue his career at the Swiss LUC Volleyball (Lausanne), after negotiations between the two sides reached a successful conclusion in recent days.
VolleyWeek.bghas been following the developments regarding the future of the 18-year-old opposite hitter for a week, and even before the deal was finalized, had information about the serious interest of the Swiss club in the CSKA player.
However, the road to Lausanne involved several twists. After Manushev's decision not to sign a professional contract with CSKA upon reaching adulthood, the initial direction for his career continuation was Italy.
According to information fromVolleyWeek.bgone of the possibilities was for him to join the Allianz Milano structure. Another CSKA youth player, Georgi Tatarov, will also play there next season.
Subsequently, Manushev's family decided that at this stage of his development, priority should be given to playing time and the opportunity for Sasho to compete for a place as a main player in the men's team, rather than entering the highly competitive Italian system and spending more time on the bench.
Thus, the option with Lausanne came to the forefront.
The Swiss club had a specific need for an opposite hitter after an unexpected turn in their selection process. LUC Volleyball had already signed and presented Canadian Samuel Jackman for the 2026/2027 season.
Jackman was arriving from Finnish AC Oulu Volley, where he finished as the leading scorer last season with 229 points. However, the transfer subsequently fell through, and the Canadian will not join the team.

Thus, a spot for an opposite hitter opened up in Lausanne's roster, and the Swiss turned their attention to Manushev.
The 18-year-old Bulgarian is 201 centimeters tall and is one of the promising players of his generation. This season, he was named MVP of the U18 National Finals, where CSKA won the championship title.
Manushev, who arrived at the "Reds" from Sofia University, but upon reaching adulthood decided not to sign his first professional contract with the club and to seek the next step in his development abroad.
Even then,VolleyWeek.bgwas the first to report his decision to leave CSKA. The news was also confirmed to our media by the head coach of the "Reds", Aleksandar Popov, who specified that he himself had learned about the volleyball player's decision that same morning.
At that time, Manushev was already part of the preparation of the Bulgarian U20 men's national team.VolleyWeek.bgalso sought comment from head coach Ventsislav Simeonov, who then also stated that he learned about the young opposite hitter's upcoming departure from our media.
The option with Italy seemed logical also due to the presence of Georgi Tatarov in Allianz Milano, but in the end, when choosing Manouchev's future, the possibility of him getting more playing time at the senior level prevailed.
LUC Volleyball is led by Lorenzo Galesio, and Manouchev will make his first step in club volleyball outside Bulgaria there. The Swiss see in the 201-centimeter Bulgarian opposite a young player with potential who can strengthen the team's attack. LUC Volleyball is part of the Swiss elite, having finished 6th in the final standings last season. The team from Lausanne reached the playoffs, where they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Näfels, and subsequently played for the distribution of places from 5th to 8th. The club also participates in European tournaments, reaching the 1/16 finals of the Challenge Cup. It is Lausanne's ambition to get closer to the leading teams in Switzerland, combined with the opportunity for Manouchev to get real playing time with the men, that makes the transfer a logical next step in the development of the 18-year-old Bulgarian opposite.
Before heading to Lausanne, however, Manouchev has one more important task with the Bulgarian U20 national team.
The opposite is part of Ventsislav Simeonov's squad, which will participate in the European qualification in Hristo Botev Hall in Sofia from August 25 to 29. Manouchev has been part of this team's preparation since the beginning of the summer, and in the control matches with France immediately before the qualification, he was among the players used by Simeonov.
Bulgaria starts on August 25 at 5:30 PM against the Republic of North Macedonia, then meets Serbia on August 26, Turkey on August 27, and Belarus on August 28 – all three matches are also at 5:30 PM. The last match is against Russia on August 29 at 8:00 PM. The tournament is Bulgaria's first direct opportunity to win a quota for the 2027 European Championship.
After completing his commitments with the national team, Manouchev will head to Lausanne, where he will begin a new stage in his career.
Thus, a story that began with the decision to leave CSKA and went through an option for development in Italy, takes Alexander Manouchev to Switzerland – where the main argument in his choice is the opportunity to play senior volleyball at just 18 years old and continue his development on the court.