Manchester City confirm signing of fourth defender in January transfer window

Txiki Begiristain and his Manchester City transfer colleagues have confirmed the signing of a fourth defender during the ongoing January transfer window.

The latest acquisition joins first-team arrivals in Uzbekistan international Abdukodir Khusanov, who agreed to a switch to Manchester City earlier this month via a €40 million agreement with Ligue 1 side RC Lens.

The 20-year-old defender was accompanied by teenage talent Vitor Reis and his €35 million switch from Palmeiras just 12 hours later, while Christian McFarlane was also confirmed as a Manchester City player after joining from fellow City Group side, New York City FC.

However, in the case of the latter, it remains to be seen whether the England youth international left-back is viewed as an Academy prospect, one to be loaned out into the European game, or integrated slowly into Pep Guardiola’s first-team picture.

And the same thought process applies to Manchester City’s latest signing, after the Premier League champions fought off intense scrutiny from the player’s selling club to ensure that his future would lie in the hands of Etihad Stadium officials.

As confirmed by Manchester City in an official club statement this week, central defensive talent Juma Bah has joined Ligue 1 side RC Lens on loan until the end of the ongoing season, having completed his registration with the Premier League champions.

A closing message in the statement from the Etihad Stadium club read, “Everyone at Manchester City wishes Juma the very best of luck during his spell.”

The move has been completed despite Real Valladolid hitting out at all parties involved in the transfer, claiming that City had pressurised Bah and his entourage into terminating his youth contract agreement at the La Liga side to secure a move away this month.

A lengthy statement, that included the threat of legal action, was issued by Valladolid earlier this month readin, “Abdulai Juma Bah and his agent informed Real Valladolid yesterday afternoon of their intention to unilaterally break the contract that binds both parties. Previously, yesterday afternoon, Manchester City sent a statement asking Real Valladolid to open negotiations for the player for a possible permanent transfer. The Sierra Leonean has decided not to show up at his workplace for morning training.

“For all these reasons, the Club holds the player responsible for the breach of his contractual commitments, and has asked its legal department to initiate disciplinary action in this regard. 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 license with a higher-category Blanquivioleta team, since this would entail an automatic increase in his termination clause.

“The Club warned the three parties about this situation yesterday through different requests, warning them of the possible consequences of their actions. 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 January 1 so that the central defender’s federative rights would belong to Pucela 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 Royal Spanish Football Federation has just confirmed that the player has deposited the amount for the unilateral termination of the contract. In this regard, Real Valladolid reports that it reserves the right to resort to the appropriate legal and sporting jurisdictions to exercise its rights and defend its interests.”

Having been approached for comment on the matter by various media outlets, Manchester City are understood to have since denied the allegations made by Real Valladolid in their statement.

It has also since been reported that Juma Bah himself paid the £5.1 million minimum release fee clause to terminate his youth contract and seal the transfer – money then reimbursed by the buying club.