Manchester City close in on La Liga centre-back with immediate loan move to Ligue 1 being discussed | OneFootball

Officials at Manchester City may now be on the verge of signing a third central defender this month, with a verbal agreement in place for a La Liga starlet.

The Premier League champions have been at the centre of transfer discussions revolving around some of the globe’s very best central defensive talents, and have already secured deals for two names with 12 days remaining in the winter market.

Abdukodir Khusanov became Manchester City’s first big-money arrival of the January window in a staggering €40 million switch from RC Lens, with the 20-year-old set to be followed through the arrivals door by 19-year-old Palmeiras talent, Vitor Reis.

And it seems as though Manchester City’s involvement in the central defensive market is not over, as they turn towards one of the breakthrough names in Spanish football that has been linked with Etihad Stadium talk since early December.

That concerns the future of AIK Freetong’s prized graduate, Juma Bah – who has also been linked with Italian giants Inter Milan and other clubs within the Premier League in recent weeks.

But now, according to the information of transfer market insider Fabrizio Romano, Premier League champions Manchester City are set to sign the Real Valladolid and Sierra Leone centre-back this month.

It is explained that there is now a verbal agreement in place for the 18-year-old, while City’s plan for Juma Bah’s development could include a loan move to RC Lens, with discussions ongoing amid an excellent relationship built via the deal for Abdukodir Khusanov.

There had been a feeling within the player’s camp that Manchester City were about to distance themselves from the player with a source close to Global Soccer Management – representative agency of Juma Bah – namedropping other clubs in the race.

Speaking earlier this month, the source explained, “At the moment, Inter have shown most interest and are moving forward quickly, willing to pay the €15 million asking price, as they believe the fee could multiply by June.

“Manchester City have not returned since their first contact, Barcelona have not yet made it official, so for the moment, it is Inter who seems the most likely destination for Juma Bah.”

For now, it remains to be seen whether there is enough time remaining in the transfer window for Manchester City to both finalise a deal for Bah, and secure the player a top-level loan move to the Premier League’s desired destination for the African talent.