The Juma Bah case has gone down like a lead balloon at Real Valladolid. The 18-year-old Sierra Leone centre-back showed up at the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) with his buyout fee - effectively terminating the contract he signed with the Pucelanos just a few weeks ago.

On Tuesday afternoon, the player and his agent informed Valladolid of their intention to unilaterally break the contract. Juma’s ties with the club ended this morning when he visited the RFEF headquarters in Madrid to deposit the six million euros ($6.25 million) needed to trigger the termination clause.

Interest for Juma Bah from Serie A and the Premier League

Several European clubs have shown an interest in Juma Bah this season - in England, Newcastle United and Leicester City as well as City, Inter Milan in Serie A, Fenerbahçe in Turkey and Real Madrid, who have close ties to Valladolid through Ronaldo Nazário, have also been monitoring his progress.

According Valladolid, Juma’s loan contract from AIK Freetown was signed last August and was due to to expire on June 30 2025. However, the contract also included a purchase option clause which the club triggered on January 1 2025. The full details of that contract are not known but it is believed that the terms were unchanged and the player still held an U-19 license, not a professional one.

Meanwhile City had planned to sign Juma Bah in the January window but send him out on loan to gain playing time and experience.

The player’s decision to tear up his contract and join City has infuriated management at Valladolid, who “received Juma Bah with open arms and gave him the opportunity of a lifetime”.

The Spanish club add that they will be exploring legal and sporting avenues in defense of its interests.

Valladolid’s statement on Juma Bah

“Yesterday afternoon, Abdulai Juma Bah and his agent communicated to Real Valladolid his intention to unilaterally break the contract that binds both parties. Prior to that, on the same afternoon, Manchester City sent a statement requesting to open negotiations with Real Valladolid for a possible permanent transfer of the player. Today, the player decided not to show up for the morning training session. For the above reasons, the Club holds the player responsible for non-compliance with his contractual commitments, and has requested its legal department to initiate disciplinary action.

“The Club considers that following the player’s decision lies with Manchester City, owned by City Football Group, who appear to have advised the player to adopt a path which has placed Real Valladolid in a situation of defenselessness.

So what happens next? Retention clauses are inserted into contracts to stop players from leaving clubs while protecting the entities who hold Third Party Player Ownership rights. Players can buy themselves out of their contract by paying a tax-free sum which has been agreed in the retention clause.

It means that if a player pays his own buyout and leaves, at least the club will have some form of compensation.

City have been busy in the winter window, bringing in 19-year-old Brazilian defender Vitor Reis from Palmeiras who joins on a four and a half-year deal for $30.75 million this week. The club landed Uzbekistan international defender Abdukodir Khusanov from Lens for $33.86 million.