Manchester City look set to sign teenager Juma Bah from Real Valladolid, but La Pucela has come out to condemn their move. Rather than agree a transfer fee between the two clubs, City will risk a UEFA sanction to get Bah over the line on the cheap.
According to reports in Spain, City and Valladolid were in talks over a transfer for Bah for around €8 million, while Fenerbahce and Inter had offered up to €12 million for his services. Bah arrived on loan from AIK Freetong in his native Sierra Leone, but Valladolid exercised a purchase clause in a deal for a total of 165,000 euros. However, they still had Bah on a youth contract and, supposedly, on the advice of his agent, City will take a €6 million fine to break his youth contract.
Valladolid issued a statement this Wednesday afternoon stating that Bah did not show up for training that same day, and that the RFEF has informed them that Bah has deposited the necessary amount to unilaterally terminate his contract. They say they believe City have advised Bah and his agent to take this step, and are expressing their disappointment and outrage.
In addition, they threaten to take legal action against Manchester City to defend their interests. La Pucela had exercised his buyout clause on January 1, but believed Bah refused to sign a high-level deal on City’s advice, which would have increased his release clause. It is believed that his release clause would have risen to €12 million in a B team contract and €30 million in a senior contract.
Full statement:
Abdulai Juma Bah and his agent informed Real Valladolid yesterday afternoon of their intention to unilaterally break the contract that unites both parties. Previously, the same yesterday afternoon, Manchester City sent a statement asking Real Valladolid to open negotiations for the player for a possible permanent loan. Today, 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 failing to comply with his contractual commitments, and has requested its legal department to initiate disciplinary actions in this regard.
The Club considers that behind the player’s decision is Manchester City, belonging to the City Football Group, which seems to have advised the player to adopt this route that places Real Valladolid in a defenseless situation, after having recently rejected financial offers of higher amounts. . even more so when the player is in the legally supervised period of the youth stage and, in recent times, he had refused to sign the professional player’s license, since this entailed the automatic increase of his termination clause. Yesterday he warned the three parties of this entire situation through different requirements, warning them of the possible consequences of their actions.
Juma Bah arrived at The Annexes 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 it would own the federative rights of the club. central. to Pucela with 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, which 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 sense, Real Valladolid informs that it reserves the right to go to the corresponding legal and sporting jurisdictions to exercise its rights and defend its interests.