Man City set to hand Ipswich Town and Southampton FC frustrating transfer blow | OneFootball

Southampton and Ipswich look set to miss out on the Manchester City defender this summer.

Manchester City defender Juma Bah is set to join Ligue 1 side Nice on loan, dealing a blow to both Ipswich Town and Southampton.

The 19-year-old centre-back has been the subject of significant transfer interest from a host of European clubs this summer.

Express Sport credited Southampton's interest in the Sierra Leone international earlier this month, whilst journalist Alan Nixon also reported Ipswich Town's interest in the City defender in recent days.

Man City set to deal Southampton, Ipswich Juma Bah blow with Ligue 1 deal lined up

Alan Nixon has revealed via his Patreon account on Wednesday that Bah is destined for France once again this summer, after spending the second half of last season on loan with Lens, having spent the first half of the campaign in La Liga with Real Valladolid.

Nixon reports that Ligue 1 side Nice are putting the finishing touches on a season-long loan move to the club, after Frank Haise's side finished fourth in the French top flight last season, which means they will play qualifiers for a place in the Champions League next term.

It's understood that fellow French outfit Lyon were the initial favourites to sign the City defender, but that the player favoured a move to Nice even before Lyon's financial troubles landed them a demotion to Ligue 2 for next season.

Bah impressed significantly during his brief stint with Lens last term, and as such, the Premier League giants have decided to keep him in French football for 2025/26, despite interest from Southampton and Ipswich Town respectively.

Southampton and Ipswich will have to lick their wounds and move onto other targets

Bah looks to be a very exciting young defender indeed, which would've meant either one of Southampton or Ipswich capturing his signature this summer would surely have been a major coup.

Indeed, both sides will be looking to significantly improve their respective defensive units back in the Championship next term, with the Tractor Boys shipping 82 goals in the Premier League last season, whilst the Saints conceded 86.

However, with the teenager now set for Ligue 1 once again, Southampton and Ipswich Town will have to quickly lick their wounds, and move onto other targets to bolster their centre-back options.

Saints do possess a number of proven Championship central defenders, such as Ronnie Edwards, James Bree and Nathan Wood.

The same can be said for Ipswich too, with the likes of Harry Clarke, Luke Woolfenden, Jacob Greaves and Dara O'Shea.

However, Town did recently lose Cameron Burgess to Swansea City, meaning they will surely be looking to find a replacement for him ASAP.