Man City can beat Barcelona to seal dream Premier League transfer for £12m star
Manchester City are reputedly ready to make an offer for teenage central defender Juma Bah after being impressed with the player's loan spell in La Liga with Real Valladolid.
Bah, 18, signed temporarily with the Spanish club during the summer transfer window from AIK Freetong in his native Sierra Leone. The young centre-back has made 11 appearances across all competitions since making the move.
He did not make the matchday squad for Valladolid's fourth game against Barcelona at Camp Nou, but the Catalan club are reputedly keen on the player. However, they are far from the only team credited with an interest in Bah.
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City are reportedly the latest, with Alan Nixon claiming that Pep Guardiola's side wants to sign the teenager during the winter transfer window and loan him back to the Spanish club until the summer. Crystal Palace and Newcastle United reputedly are two other Premier League clubs in the running.
It is said that they would have to pay a £12million fixed transfer fee to meet his parent club's asking price. The promise of a prompt route into the first team is also seemingly a requirement, though the player's preference appears to be a move to the Premier League. Only three players born in Sierra Leone have previously played in the league: Al Bangura, Albert Jarrett and Kei Kamara.
However, the French club Lens have reputedly made an offer that meets that valuation. Milan is also said to have made a move, although they are unable to complete any transfer until the end of this season.
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) only allows Serie A clubs to register two players who are not considered European Union (EU) citizens per season. Milan, however, has already hit its quota after signing Brazil's Emerson Royal from Tottenham Hotspur and Serbia's Strahinja Pavlovic in the summer.