Champions League club agree deal for Manchester City defender | OneFootball

Manchester City have arranged for the next step in the development of highly-rated central defender Juma Bah, as confirmed by Fabrizio Romano on Tuesday.

The Sierra Leonean star has been associated with the Etihad Stadium club since the January transfer window, when City officials made a firm effort to secure his services for the foreseeable future.

However, having signed both Abdukodir Khusanov from Lens and Vitor Reis from Palmeiras, there was no room for a further new recruit in the defensive unit, and as such a loan deal to France was sanctioned for Bah.

Having built a strong working relationship with RC Lens, it was agreed that the former Real Valladolid man would head to Ligue 1 to largely replace Khusanov following his switch to Manchester during the same market.

But having seen that temporary deal conclude, all parties have been on the search for a new solution for the 2025/26 season to ensure his rate of development continues with a view towards integrating into the Manchester City first-team later down the line.

According to the information of transfer market insider Fabrizio Romano, Manchester City’s Juma Bah is now set to join Ligue 1 side and UEFA Champions League league phase hopefuls OGC Nice in a loan arrangement for the forthcoming season.

It is detailed that a verbal agreement has now been completed between the relevant parties, with Nice defeating fellow French outfit Olympique Lyon after the player showed a preference for the Côte d’Azur club.

Although unconfirmed, many could believe that Lyon’s recent relegation to Ligue 2 may have affected their chances of securing Bah on a loan deal, with financial problems hampering the iconic French side.

With the future of one defensive star out of the way and seemingly complete, it remains to be seen how many more deals will be confirmed for existing Manchester City defenders in the weeks that remain in the ongoing window.

Kyle Walker is expected to be a certainty to leave the club on a permanent transfer, while there is some element of uncertainty concerning Brazilian talent Vitor Reis, who could yet leave the Etihad Stadium on loan to further accelerate his development in Europe.