The January transfer window is open and is in full swing. There have been a few high profile moves so far. A big one would be Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's move from Napoli to Paris Saint-Germain in a € 70m (£59m) deal. Some players are seeking moves while some clubs are in search for a specific position.
Manchester City is one club who has been fierce in this window. They have signed three players (Omar Marmoush; Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis) and are looking to sign one more player. One player in mind is Real Valladolid's Juma Bah. It's his absentism from training that has Real Valladolid believing that the two are secretly working on a deal.
They have reportedly made a shocking accusation against Manchester City, claiming the reigning Premier League champions of encouraging defender Juma Bah to terminate his contract with Valladolid and join City.
According to the BBC, Juma Bah on Tuesday informed Valladolid that he plans to terminate the contract, which would eventually let City sign the 18-year-old for a significantly lower fee. Valladolid said in a statement that City had requested the Spanish outfit to begin talks regarding a permanent move for the Sierra Leone international.
"The club considers that Manchester City, a member of the City Football Group, is behind the player’s decision, and appears to have advised the player to take this route," the club said.
As a result, Bah failed to attend training on Wednesday. Bah has already paid the release clause to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) which is reportedly an amount of €6m. Bah remains contracted as a youth player and has kept himself away from signing a senior contract, which would witness a significant increase in his release clause. Valladolid has informed that the club will take legal action against City, "to exercise its rights and defend its interests."
Bah had joined Valladolid on a loan deal from Sierra Leonean club, AIK Freetong, in the summer of 2024 and has played 12 matches for the Valladolid first team. Earlier in January, Valladolid initiated a clause to convert the deal into a permanent one. City, who have won the last four top-flight titles in England, are currently in fifth place in the Premier League with 38 points from 22 matches.
This senior deal, reportedly, would have allowed the club to place a £25 million release clause on Bah but as a youth player, that clause could only be pushed to £10 million. Valladolid said in a statement, as per The Guardian:
"Abdulai Juma Bah and his agent (on the 21st January) informed Real Valladolid of their intention to unilaterally break their contract with the club. Before that, also (on the 21st), Manchester City sent a letter in which they requested Real Valladolid open negotiations for the player with a view to a possible permanent transfer."
"(On the 22nd), the Sierra Leonean decided not to show up at his place of work for the morning training session. For those reasons, the club considers the player responsible for not fulfilling his contractual obligations, and has requested the club’s legal department to begin disciplinary procedures."
"The club considers that Manchester City, a member of the City Football Group, is behind the player’s decision, and appears to have advised the player to take this route, which puts Real Valladolid in a defenceless position, after having recently rejected financial offers of a higher amount, even more so when the player is in the protected legal period of his youth stage and, in recent days, had refused to sign the player’s licence with a higher-category Blanquivioleta team, since this would entail an automatic increase in his termination clause."
Potential legal battles are no mystery to Manchester City, who have spent many months under inspection from the Premier League for an alleged breach of up to 115 Financial Fair Play rules. If Valladolid’s statement is true, there could be immensely negative ramifications for City.
The Guardian reports that Valladolid noted that "all three parties," supposedly, Bah, City and Bah’s agent, had been warned of what would happen if the deal went ahead. Valladolid used strong words in their statement, something that they wouldn't have done were they not convinced it was true.
According to reports in Spain, City and Valladolid were in talks over a move for Bah around €8m, while Fenerbahce (from Turkey) and Inter Milan had offered as much as €12m for his services. Bah had joined on loan from AIK Freetong but Valladolid exercised a buy clause in a deal totalling €165k. However, they still had Bah on a youth contract and allegedly on the advice of his agent, City will assume a €6m penalty to break his youth contract.
In addition, they threaten legal action against Manchester City in order to defend their interests. La Pucela had exercised their buy clause on the first of January but believed Bah refused to pen a senior deal on the advice of City, which would have raised his release clause. It's believed that his release clause would have been raised to €12m on a B team contract and €30m on a senior deal.
Valladolid have pledged to take all necessary steps to protect its interests. The club warned Manchester City, Bah, and his agent of potential repercussions and remains firm in its stance.
"The club warned the three parties about this situation yesterday through different requests, warning them of the possible consequences of their actions," the club said.
"Juma Bah arrived at the Anexos last summer on loan from AIK Freetown. The loan contract with the Sierra Leonean club ended on June 30 of this season and included a clause for Real Valladolid to exercise a purchase option, a clause that the Blanquivioleta entity exercised on 1 January so that the central defender’s federative rights would belong to Pucela [Valladolid] under a new contract of longer duration, and with better conditions."
"The player’s intention, supposedly supported and guided by Manchester City and his agent, has caused great disappointment and indignation within Real Valladolid, who welcomed Juma Bah with open arms and gave him the opportunity of a lifetime."
The unfolding saga raises serious questions about player contracts and the role of influential clubs in the transfer market, setting the stage for a contentious battle.
I'm not a conspiracist nor do I believe in it. However, this story seems a bit fishy. I would find it hard to believe that all that has happened is a pure coincidence. There's no need for this type of behaviour. Everything should be done in a professional manner. Bah should show up to training sessions and hope a deal is agreed. As for Manchester City, they should approach the club in the proper and formal manner so that the clubs can negotiate a deal for the player. I doubt City want another legal issue to fight against.