The twists and turns of this fraught season continue for Manchester City after Real Valladolid made an incendiary accusation that January goalkeeper Juma Bah had been encouraged to break his contract.
A lengthy statement from La Liga dropped just as Pep Guardiola was putting the finishing touches to his team at their Paris hotel.
And the content was meaty: Valladolid claimed Bah – a central defender from Sierra Leone – was 'supported and guided' by the Premier League champions in choosing not to attend training on Wednesday.
The story is complicated by the 18-year-old joining Valladolid on loan from AIK Freetong, with the Spaniards exercising a clause earlier this month to make the transfer permanent. But given his age, Bah is still on a youth contract worth an estimated £2,500-a-week – rather than full professional terms – and that has serious implications for the fee City have to pay.
He is thought to be available for around £5 million at the moment, but that would almost triple if he were to sign a new deal. Bah informed the club on Tuesday that he wanted to break his contract and City attempted to start negotiations with Valladolid the same day. Then he didn't show up 24 hours later.
City have not responded to the statement, which read: 'The player's intention, supposedly supported and guided by Manchester City and his agent, has caused great disappointment and outrage at Real Valladolid, who welcomed Juma Bah with open arms and offered him the opportunity cared about playing football. for a lifetime.'
Bah would likely argue that joining City means exactly that, even if the plan for his development appears to include an immediate loan spell at Manchester.
Valladolid added: “The Royal Spanish Football Federation has just confirmed that the player has paid 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.”
So this signing, which would be City's fourth of an exceptionally busy £130 million spell, could drag on for some time. There are already two defenders in the building and City's thinking in that area of the pitch is intriguing, focusing on potential rather than ready-made.
Abdukodir Khusanov is the most likely to make an immediate impact and his £33m arrival from Lens is partly down to the endless list of injuries at the back. John Stones, back on the bench against Paris Saint-Germain, has played 57 minutes in the past two months, while Nathan Aké is once again on the sidelines.
They need bodies, although sources are calling for caution regarding Khusanov, a 20-year-old Uzbek international. He is fast – as fast as the outgoing Kyle Walker – but he is known to struggle to 'put the brakes' on when taking on challenges. “He needs to slow down,” one scout said last week.
There is still learning to do and he won't play every week, but crucially his speed opens up the prospect of greater certainty to nullify counter-attacks if Rico Lewis were to operate as an inverted full-back.
That gives Guardiola more options tactically, while Vitor Reis, 19, can also play centrally or wide after sealing a £29million move from Palmeiras.
Both are training, are available for Chelsea this weekend and will be joined by Omar Marmoush over the next 24 hours.
With fifteen goals in the Bundesliga for Eintracht Frankfurt this season, Marmoush is the real exciting signing.
Guardiola can play him up front and likes to move up a number 10 to Erling Haaland, which is a tempting prospect.
And City are still considering signing a central midfielder. Decisive action. As decisive as the one who took the pin out of the Valladolid grenade.
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